By John Lee.
The interior minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) has reportedly called on the US to set up a base in the country to counter-balance Russian influence in the region.
Fathi Bashagha (pictured) told Bloomberg: “... we hope that the redeployment [of US forces in Africa] includes Libya so it doesn’t leave space that Russia can exploit.”
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had previously said that the United States was reviewing its troop deployment in Africa with a view to countering Russian and Chinese influence.
Bashagha added: “The Russians aren’t in Libya just for Haftar ... They have a big strategy in Libya and Africa.”
(Source: Bloomberg)
