Libya's Haftar reshuffles southern forces after border clash

Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar has moved to reorganise his military deployment in southern Libya following an armed challenge by tribes at a key border crossing and a helicopter crash.

Last week, Haftar issued a decision forming a new unit, the “18th Infantry Brigade”, consolidating several of his main southern militias, including the 176th, 634th, 672nd and 676th battalions, under one command structure.

Haftar's forces control most of eastern and southern Libya but do not operate under the authority of the Libyan government in Tripoli.

The brigade was granted "full public force in terms of personnel, vehicles, equipment, weapons, communications devices, military supplies, headquarters and financial allocations", according to the decision.

The move comes days after a tribal armed group calling itself the "Southern Liberation Operations Force", composed of Tebu fighters, seized control of the Tumm border crossing with Niger on 31 January. The confrontation left three members of Haftar’s forces dead and ten captured.

Haftar’s forces quickly regained control of the crossing. However, they did not announce the recovery of the captives. Reinforcements were later sent to the nearby town of al-Qatrun in an apparent effort to secure the border corridor and prevent further instability.

The border incident was preceded by the crash of a military helicopter at al-Sarra base in southeastern Libya on 9 February.

Libyan sources from Kufra told The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that five people were killed, including two foreigners. Kufra’s municipal council mourned three victims, two members of the military medical evacuation unit and a nurse from Kufra hospital.

Belarusian outlet Nashaniva reported that the dead included a Russian pilot, his Belarusian assistant and three Libyans.

Haftar’s command has not issued an official explanation. The lack of comment has fuelled speculation over whether the crash was a technical failure or the result of deliberate targeting.

In parallel with the military reshuffle, local sources from al-Qatrun told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Haftar’s leadership had opened contacts with leaders of the Tebu tribes, whose presence spans the Libya-Niger border.

The aim, according to the sources, is to contain tensions and isolate the armed group responsible for the takeover of the Tumm crossing.

The discussions reportedly included the possibility of incorporating Tebu elements into Haftar-aligned forces to help secure crossings and corridors within what is known as the "Salvador Triangle" linking Algeria, Niger and Libya.

The emergence of Haftar’s son Khaled Haftar as a player in the south forms part of what sources have described as a redistribution of roles within the leadership circle. Khaled has been granted broader authority to oversee military units as chief of staff, while his brother Saddam Haftar has focused more on external relations.

The decision to base the 18th Infantry Brigade in Murzuq, rather than Um al-Aranib, previously a central hub for southern deployments, signals a shift in the centre of command closer to al-Qatrun and the contested border belt.

The consolidation of militias coincided with the appointment of a new head of the Murzuq Security Directorate. This suggests a recalibration from a purely military posture toward a security-focused approach that also seeks to manage relations with local tribes and stabilise the border region.

Southern Libya remains strategically significant due to its oil fields, gold mines and proximity to Chad, Niger and Sudan.

The al-Sarra base, where the helicopter crash occurred, has gained increased importance because of its location overlooking Chad and Sudan, as well as the reported Russian military presence there since early last year.