France wants a military base in Libya
France wants a military base in Libya
By Ali Rıza Taşdelen
On February 26, 2025, General Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls eastern Libya, held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. While the French Presidency kept this visit almost entirely out of the public eye, the General Command of the Libyan National Army declared it an official visit.
According to reports from Asharq Al-Awsat, the core topic of the Haftar-Macron meeting was France’s interest in establishing a military base in Libya to counter the growing Russian and Turkish presence in the country. The news site cited Libyan military expert Colonel Adel Abdul-Kafi, who stated:
“France is seeking to establish a military foothold by settling into one of Libya’s military bases, particularly the Al Wigh Military Base located in the central south of the country. This would allow France to counter Russian influence while securing its own interests in Libyan territory. These efforts align with France’s broader ambition to lead a European military force against Russia, especially as the U.S. begins to scale back its support for Ukraine. Additionally, France aims to secure bases in the southern Mediterranean for NATO.”
Abdul-Kafi further elaborated:
“France has set its sights on the Al Wigh Military Base, which falls within the sphere of influence of the Recma Military Base, using it as a gateway to expand its reach into other African nations. By securing a presence at Al Wigh through Haftar, France would be able to push back against Russia’s influence in North Africa while also extending its presence into the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa. This would deliver a blow to Russia, which has taken control of some African nations at France’s expense.”
Macron wants the Al Wigh military base
The Al Wigh Military Base is located in the Sahel region, approximately 500 kilometers from the border between Niger and Chad. It is considered a strategic platform for military operations targeting Sub-Saharan African countries.
Russia, which has a strong presence in eastern Libya, is also known to be expanding its influence in the southern part of the country. Libyan military expert Abdul-Kafi highlighted Russia’s strategic positioning, pointing out that it has already secured key military bases such as the Jufra Air Base in central Libya, the Brak al-Shati Air Base near the southern city of Sabha, and the Hadim Base in Benghazi, eastern Libya. Additionally, Russia has now extended its reach southward to the Maaten al-Sarra Air Base.
US and France expelled from the Sahel region
France was forced to withdraw its troops and shut down its military bases in several Sahel countries, including Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, the Central African Republic, and Côte d’Ivoire. Since 2020, France and the U.S. have been losing their political, economic, and military influence in the Sahel region. In response, they have allegedly mobilized the separatist and jihadist terrorist organizations they themselves created, trained, and financed to destabilize these countries.
In an interview on December 10, 2023, Niger’s military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, accused France of being the “sponsor” of terrorism in the Sahel, stating:
“You cannot put out a fire with gasoline. In our view, the flames of terrorism are being fueled by France’s support for terrorist groups.”
Similarly, Niger’s Prime Minister, Lamine Zeine, criticized the U.S. during a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee during her visit to Niamey in March 2024. Zeine stated:
“While terrorists were killing our people and destroying our communities, the Americans stood by and did nothing. Allowing terrorists to attack us on our own soil is not an act of friendship. We have seen what the U.S. has done to protect its allies in Ukraine and Israel.”
Following this meeting, diplomatic ties between Niger and the U.S. collapsed. The U.S. military base in Niger was shut down, and American troops withdrew from the country.
Following the withdrawal of French and American troops from Niger, Russian Wagner forces stepped in to fill the vacuum. A similar process had previously unfolded in Mali and Burkina Faso. Russia has now established significant military influence in the Sahel region. Concerned by this development, the US and France (or NATO, more broadly) devised a new military strategy aimed at curbing Russian and Chinese expansion in Africa. Their plan involves destabilizing Sahel states—formed through military-civilian cooperation—by supporting separatist and jihadist terrorist groups.
In response, the French military established a command structure similar to AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, which was created by the U.S. armed forces in 2008.
Russia has increased its power
Once known as the “gendarme of Africa”, colonial France had more than 20,000 troops stationed across the continent in the 1970s. Today, only two permanent French bases remain: one in Gabon, on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, and another in Djibouti. According to the French Armed Forces General Staff, as of May 2024, France maintains 350 troops in Gabon and 1,500 in Djibouti.
In recent years, President Putin’s Russia has moved to fill the void left by France’s retreat. Wagner forces, in particular, have played a key role in securing the region against Western-backed terrorist groups. In August 2024, Russia formalized this military presence by replacing Wagner with the “African Corps,” an entity directly controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The African Corps is not only tasked with security operations but also with supporting infrastructure projects, humanitarian aid efforts, and disease prevention initiatives.
NATO’s striking in Libya
During Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency, France acted as NATO’s strike force in the 2011 intervention in Libya, leading to the assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country was thrown into chaos as Western-backed jihadist armed groups clashed, plunging Libya into civil war and ultimately dividing it into two factions.
The western part of Libya fell under the control of the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj, backed by the United Nations (UN). Meanwhile, the eastern part came under the command of General Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA). Haftar had been involved in Gaddafi’s 1969 coup but later went into exile in the U.S. before returning to Libya two decades later to lead the eastern forces.
Macron on General Haftar’s side
After being elected president in 2017, Emmanuel Macron made Libya a top priority on his agenda. That same year, he brought together Fayez al-Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar in Paris. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire and the holding of elections.
Macron’s proposed solution was to bring Haftar to power as Libya’s overall military leader while keeping Sarraj as prime minister—an attempt to reconcile both factions. France’s main objective was to establish a stable power structure capable of managing Libya’s oil and gas extraction and exports. Additionally, a “stable” Libya would serve as a barrier against migration from Africa to Europe.
With his characteristic cunning, Macron maintained relations with both factions, pursuing a balancing act. Officially, France diplomatically “supported” the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), while at the same time providing arms and backing to Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
In 2019, with France’s backing, Haftar launched an offensive to seize control of Tripoli. However, the intervention of Türkiye—supporting Sarraj’s forces—thwarted Haftar’s campaign. Faced with this failure, Macron withdrew his support for Haftar.
Ankara effectively derailed France’s Libya strategy. While Russia supported Haftar, it avoided direct confrontation with Türkiye, maintaining a cautious stance in the conflict.
Russia’s strengthening prompts France
As France distanced itself from Libya, it was also being expelled from Sahel states in Africa. This shift left two dominant powers in Libya: Russia and Türkiye.
In an article published in Asharq Al-Awsat titled “Does Libya’s Desert Stand in the Way of France’s Influence in Africa?”, journalist Karima Naji highlights France’s renewed focus on Libya. She cites African affairs expert and researcher Mohamed Torshin, who argues that:
“When France speaks of Libya, its real focus is on the south of the country, which it sees as a historical sphere of influence and a battleground for competition between China and Russia.”
Torshin further explains that Russia’s increasing influence in eastern Libya is largely due to Moscow’s weakening position in Syria, where the Russian Navy maintains the Tartus Naval Base. He also notes that Russia is “seeking to gain more footholds along Libya’s Mediterranean coast,” warning that this development means “Europe is being encircled by Russia from all directions”.
In response, Macron appears to have revived his relationship with Haftar, whom he previously supported. With the aim of weakening Russia’s influence in Libya and the Sahel region, Macron discussed establishing a French military presence at Al Wigh Air Base, located near the Chad-Niger border, during his meeting with Haftar.
Reeling from the political shock dealt by U.S. President Donald Trump over European security and Ukraine, Macron has been scrambling from one crisis to another. While he aggressively pushes for militarization and war rhetoric in Europe, he is also pursuing new geopolitical maneuvers in Africa.
However, with the decline of Western dominance and the rise of Africa and Asia, Macron’s chances of success appear slim.