Eastern Libya’s Power Transition: From Khalifa to Saddam Haftar
Saddam Haftar's rise as the successor to his father, LNA Commander Khalifa Haftar, ends the question of "who comes next?"—but now the real one begins: can he fill his father's shoes?
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3 min read
When news broke that Khalifa Haftar had been hospitalised in the spring of 2018, eastern Libya was in a moment of uncertainty.
From Tobruk to central Libya, speculation swirled: what would happen to the militarised security project built around one man and the fragile painstakingly earned stability of eastern Libya?
Haftar will soon turn 82 in November. For years, foreign governments and Libyan factions alike have treated his eventual death as a political inevitability—planning for a “post-Haftar” Libya as though it were imminent.
Yet, despite countless political shifts, UN envoys, and foreign-backed initiatives, Haftar remains firmly in place, his influence expanding and many of his old opponents now seeking his attention.
The central question has always been: who comes after Haftar? Would the Libyan National Army (LNA) survive without him, or would the east splinter into the same chaos seen in western Libya?
During the celebrations for the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Libyan Army, the question of succession was answered. Haftar formally named his son, Saddam Haftar, as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the LNA, making him effectively his heir apparent.
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