In recent weeks, military movements have been observed in southwestern Libya, particularly in the border region with Algeria.
Units of the army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar have been deployed there in significant numbers, raising concerns not only in Tripoli and Algiers but also among international observers.
Relations between Field Marshal Haftar and Algeria have always been marked by mutual distrust. While Algeria officially maintains a position of neutrality in the Libyan conflict, it has often been perceived as leaning closer to the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU). Haftar, who controls the eastern and much of the southern parts of Libya, has received support from several countries, including foreign powers.
According to Western analysts, Haftar’s troop deployment near the border could be interpreted as a direct message to Algeria, asserting a presence in a strategic region that has long been neglected.
Southern Libya, a vast desert territory known as Fezzan, is an area where state authority has historically been weak. It is also a crossroads for various types of trafficking: weapons, migrants, fuel, gold…
By sending his troops into this region, Haftar aims to combat illegal trade routes and terrorist organizations allegedly supported by the Algerian military regime, which he accuses of destabilizing the area.
By positioning his forces at Algeria’s doorstep, Haftar is also signaling to regional powers and major global capitals that he remains a key player—both in the fight against terrorist armed groups in the Sahel and in negotiations over Libya’s future political balance.
Algeria is currently facing the redeployment of Libyan military forces in the south, particularly around the regions of Djanet and Illizi, which are on the Libyan side of the border.
Officially, Algiers has not publicly denounced this troop movement, but Algerian intelligence services are closely monitoring the situation, fearing a possible destabilization of the border, manipulation of cross-border armed groups, or even a strategic encirclement attempt by an increasingly assertive Haftar.