Recent reversals in Libya’s ongoing conflict have cast a dramatic spotlight on the evolving role of Russian and other foreign private military companies. In late May, U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, expressed alarm over the deployment of Russian military jets to support Russia’s Wagner Group, a private military company (PMC), and to bolster Libyan General Khalifa Haftar in the fight against Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Meanwhile, outside powers such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are funding PMCs and other proxy groups on Libya’s increasingly crowded battlefield, making any lasting political resolution of the crisis far less likely.
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Paul Stronski: Russia’s private military companies
This picture taken on March 9, 2020 in the city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, shows a Russian military armoured vehicle driving in a convoy from the town of Tal Tamr to Qamishli airport.
