UAE Companies Allegedly Violated Libyan Arms Embargo: Report

United Arab Emirates-based companies shipped nearly 11,000 tons of jet fuel to eastern Libya, the stronghold of General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, in a suspected violation of an international arms embargo, according to a report published Monday by the Financial Times.

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A set of documents, seen by the London-based news outlet, shows that an oil shipment worth nearly US$5 million was delivered on March 16 to the city of Benghazi, the headquarters Haftar’s offensive.

Although the FT could not verify the authenticity of the documents, acting United Nations envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams said that in the U.N.’s judgment the jet fuel was considered to be “combat supplies” and the shipment to eastern Libya could constitute a violation of the embargo. 

The documents state the supplier of the fuel was Afrifin Logistics FZE, based in Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE and then loaded on to MT Gulf Petroleum 4, a Liberian-flagged tanker operated by Gulf Shipping Services FZC.

U.N. officials confirmed the companies involved are registered in the UAE and the fuel was supplied in UAE territory, adding investigations were ongoing to determine how the financial transactions were conducted and identify those involved.

Back in January, an agreement to respect the disregarded international arms embargo on Libya was the result of the German-led peace summit, attended by countries with interests in the conflict and the two warring sides, including the UAE.

"We agreed on a comprehensive plan forward," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, adding that they all “agree that we should respect the arms embargo and that the arms embargo should be controlled more strongly than it has been in the past."

The LNA, which is backed by Egypt, the UAE, France, and Russia, has been fighting off a year-long offensive over Tripoli which is the last stronghold of Fayez al Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA), which is backed by Turkey, Qatar, and Italy.

According to the U.N., more than 280 civilians and about 2,000 fighters have been killed and 146,000 Libyans displaced since Haftar launched his assault to seize the capital.