Contrary to numerous news reports, General Khalifa Haftar, the powerful military leader of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), did not publicly announce the appointment of his youngest son, Saddam, as his deputy during a speech on 9 August.
The address commemorated the 85th anniversary of the Libyan Army, which was founded by Idris As-Sanousi in exile in Egypt in the 1940s.
However, the decision to appoint Saddam was, rather, made behind closed doors, issued as an organisational order to the Libyan National Army (LNA) rather than a public announcement.
Regardless of the technicalities, the appointment itself is what truly matters in the current political and military situation in the divided country.
Undoubtedly, this move came as part of Haftar’s so-called “Vision 2030,” which includes the modernisation of the LNA, a restructuring of its ranks, the increased use of technology, and an overall enhancement of its capabilities.
To achieve these goals, Haftar has indicated that further reorganisation is forthcoming. This is likely to involve the removal of the old guard who might challenge Saddam, to give his son influence in the appointment of more loyal officers.
A clear divide: Reaction from Tripoli and Haftar's allies
The decision has been met with immediate rejection from the capital, Tripoli. Abdullah Al-Lafi, a member of the Presidency Council, has called for an urgent meeting to address the issue.
According to the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement and reaffirmed in the 2021 Geneva roadmap, the Presidency Council is designated as the collective supreme commander of the armed forces.
It is a complex situation, given that the PC does not recognise Haftar's forces as an official state organ, but rather as a de facto military. Al-Lafi stressed that the appointment was invalid, and that the creation of any new posts was "the exclusive competence of the legislative authority".
He emphasised that any top military appointment must be made "in accordance with the law and by a decision of the supreme commander of the Libyan Army". The Government of National Unity, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has yet to comment on the issue.
While the legality of Haftar’s decree is highly questioned, the appointment is widely seen as a done deal, evidenced by what pro-Haftar media outlets, such as Al-Hadath TV, described as a "flood of congratulations and blessings" for Saddam Haftar.
This included official messages from powerful allies: the Russian Defence Minister, a long-term ally with forces on the ground in eastern Libya; Egypt’s Chief of Staff; and numerous other retired generals and commentators from Egypt, Jordan, and other countries.
The move also received a significant stamp of approval from the House of Representatives leadership and individual members, including its speaker Aguila Saleh and the appointed Prime Minister Osama Hammad. Notably, another long-time Haftar supporter, the UAE, has yet to comment.
With the legal questions put aside, the timing of the appointment has now taken centre stage. The promotion of Saddam Haftar came shortly after a three-day visit from Musaad Boulos, the US Presidential Senior Advisor for Africa.
While in the country, he met with both the senior and junior Haftar, though not in a private, one-on-one session. Although it remains unknown whether the topic of the appointment was discussed during their 24 July meeting, the lack of an official US reaction suggests a form of tacit approval.
This development will undoubtedly be part of the briefing that Hanna Tetteh, the head of the UN mission to Libya, is preparing for the UNSC.
Haftar's political legacy and the UN's dilemma
Khalifa Haftar is not your typical democrat. Although he registered for the shelved 2021 presidential election, which was never held, he has a long-held belief that he has every right to govern Libya.
Now an octogenarian and said to be suffering from some health issues, he appears to have lost any hope of contesting future elections, which are yet to be organised.
However, he does not want to leave the scene without putting in place a cornerstone for a political dynasty in the country. In doing so, he is "telegraphing to both his rivals and his international partners that he sees no distinction between the state and his family," a Tripoli-based legal expert, who wished to remain anonymous, told The New Arab.
The timing of this dynastic declaration is a deliberate and provocative challenge to the UN-led peace process. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which has long been forced to treat Haftar as a key interlocutor, is now in a precarious position.
The appointment of Saddam Haftar makes it increasingly difficult to credibly argue that Haftar is a partner in a unified, democratic Libya. The move effectively undermines any talk of a unified military institution under a national government, as Haftar has made it clear that the LNA's leadership will be a family matter.
The head of UNSMIL, Hanna Tetteh, is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on 21 August. Her briefing will now have to contend with this new reality, as the appointment directly contradicts the principles of military and security sector reform that are at the core of the UN's mandate.
The announcement serves as a signal that the UN's plan "will not at all change how the Haftar family runs eastern and southern Libya,” Jalel Harchaoui, a prominent Libyan affairs analyst, told TNA.
The UN, he explained, will likely not respond directly, as "these are two different tracks".
The challenge for the UN and its member states is to decide whether they will continue to engage a figure who so openly violates the very foundation of their mission.
As one European diplomat remarked, "we cannot on one hand support a democratic path for Libya and on the other hand legitimise a military commander who is openly creating a dynastic succession. The two are mutually exclusive".
The allure of the strongman and a divided future
Haftar’s move is not an aberration; it taps into a political culture that has long favoured strongman rule over institutional democracy.
The suspension of municipal elections in cities under his control elicited little public backlash, indicating a population exhausted by years of chaos and willing to accept stability, even at the cost of liberty.
Yet, this consolidation of power within a single family poses a clear risk of plunging Libya back into the very cycle of violence it fought to escape - a risk brought into sharp focus by a UN report documenting his son's brigade seizing over $630 million in cash from the Benghazi Central Bank back in 2017.
The international community has contributed to Haftar’s rise by recognising his political and military legitimacy out of expediency. The UN and key foreign backers, including Russia, Egypt, and the UAE, have been forced into a corner: they need a unified Libya, but their dealings with Haftar have only strengthened his position and emboldened his unilateral actions.
This dynastic move forces them to confront a stark choice: continue to work with a man who is actively building a new dictatorship, or fundamentally rethink their strategy in Libya.
The ultimate impact of this declaration will unfold in the coming months. But it is clear that Haftar's dynastic ambitions have fundamentally altered the political landscape, making a negotiated, unified future for Libya more difficult than ever before.
Mustafa Fetouri is an award-winning Libyan journalist, columnist, author, and translator, with contributions to major outlets like Middle East Monitor, Al-Monitor, and Washington Report, and a focus on North Africa and the Sahel region
Follow him on X: @MFetouri