The US State Department has warned Libyan military general Khalifa Haftar against collaborating with Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a Russian military Legion in Africa.
The warning comes after the Russian authorities reportedly worked to establish a Russian Legion in Africa, following the visit of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Bek Evkurov to Libya at the invitation of Haftar.
The US State Department has expressed concern over the Russian military company Wagner, which it says represents a harmful element in Libya. The mercenaries of the company are accused of plundering the countries in which they are located, endangering public security, and causing a lack of respect for human rights.
The State Department has also accused the Wagner Group of destabilizing Libya and using it as a platform to organize its activities in the region. According to the US State Department, the Russian African Legion is to conduct large-scale military operations in the continent to confront Western influence. The US State Department has emphasized that the goal of the United States in Libya is to achieve a sovereign, stable, unified, and secure state that can control its own affairs, which is represented by free and transparent elections.
