The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity says cooperation with Saddam Haftar has become "impossible" after allegations emerged that he oversaw a "terror cell" responsible for drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya.
Saddam Haftar serves as deputy commander of the Libyan National Army, the armed force led by his father, warlord Khalifa Haftar. The US had positioned him as a key figure in its strategy to unify Libya's security, judicial and political institutions.
The allegations have derailed a US-backed merger plan that had been under negotiation. The GNU, which controls Tripoli, had been working toward incorporating Haftar's LNA forces into a unified command structure as part of broader efforts to stabilize Libya's fractured government.
No details were provided in the available material about the specific evidence linking Saddam Haftar to the drone attacks, the timeline of the incidents, the extent of damage caused, or the identity of the alleged terror cell members. The source does not attribute direct statements from Saddam Haftar or his representatives responding to the allegations.
The breakdown reflects deepening tensions between Libya's two main power bases. Libya has remained divided since the 2011 collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's regime, with competing governments and military factions operating across the country. The GNU represents one pole of this division, while Khalifa Haftar and his LNA control eastern and central regions.
The US involvement in promoting the merger plan underscores Washington's strategic interest in preventing Libya from becoming a failed state or a proxy arena for rival powers. How quickly these allegations circulate and whether they prove substantive remains unclear from the available reporting.