The attack on the Oil Crescent on 3 March and its wealth of advanced weaponry reflect the growing power of the Benghazi Defence Forces (BDF), whose influence has increased considerably over recent months.
The force was established on 2 June 2016, mainly out of the remnants of Islamist fighters who had fled the conflict in Benghazi, along with militant Islamists from Derna and Ajdabiya. Its aim was to engage Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in battles elsewhere in the country in order to ease some of the pressure on the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC), which was being squeezed in Benghazi.
The main Benghazi Defence Forces leaders are well-known Islamist commanders who fought on the frontlines against Muammar Qadhafi’s regime during the 2011 revolution:
- Ismail Sallabi is the brother of prominent Islamist, Ali Sallabi, who is from the Muslim Brotherhood;
- Abu Abdullah Nawfali is a commander from Ajdabiya;
- Ziad Balaam is the former leader of the Omar Al-Mukhtar Brigade and was the subject of numerous assassination attempts in Benghazi;
- Overall brigade commander Mustafa Al-Sharkasi is a prominent revolutionary from Misrata who used to be the spokesperson for the National Salvation Government army in Tripoli.
The rank and file is made up primarily of Islamist fighters, including some from Ansar al-Sharia, most of whom come from Benghazi, Ajdabiya, and Derna. Their spiritual reference is the ultra-orthodox Grand Mufti Sheikh Sadiq al-Ghariani, and the Dar Al-Iftar (Fatwa House) that he directs.
Despite their focus on Benghazi, the BDF have strong links to Misrata. Many of their senior leadership, including Balaam, come from Benghazi, but their families originate from Misrata and they still have strong connections in the city. The Benghazi Defence Forces get most of their logistical, political, and military support from inside Misrata, apparently from powerful individuals or factions in the town. Many in the east therefore see the Benghazi Defence Forces as an extension of Misrata, or at least as a way for Misrata to fight a proxy war against Haftar in the east.
The BDF have also succeeded in developing a stronger base in Tripoli over the past months. They have the support there of forces opposed to the GNA, as well as the defunct National Salvation Government of Khalifa Ghwell.
An al-Qa’ida connection?
After the attack, Haftar’s side accused the Benghazi Defence Forces of being part of al-Qa’ida. The Libyan National Army (LNA) levelled similar charges in December, when the same forces launched a failed assault on the oil ports. The LNA’s General Ahmad al-Samaray claimed that al-Qa’ida was responsible.
This is an excerpt from an article in our monthly Libya Focus publication.