Congress moves to sanction Russians for mercenary surge in Libya
The US National Security Council has begun a review of US policy involving Libya as a congressional bill seeks to sanction Russian mercenaries who have undertaken operations in the war-torn North African country.
Congress is preparing bipartisan sanctions on Russian mercenaries and other suspected human rights violators in Libya, Al-Monitor has learned, as the Donald Trump administration looks to use the recent entry of Moscow-linked paramilitaries into the conflict to reinvigorate a long-dormant American strategy in the war-torn country.
Foreign relations committee member Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are set to introduce legislation codifying Treasury Department sanctions to limit Russian proxy activity. The bill would require President Trump to slap visa bans and freeze US property for arms traffickers, those illegally exploiting Libya’s vast supplies of crude oil and human rights abusers.
Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Chris Murphy. D-Conn., are also expected to sign onto the legislation, sources familiar with the bill say. The legislation also would require the United States to work with humanitarian organizations to ensure that aid be delivered in the country. “We just wanted Congress to weigh in and give a carrot-and-stick approach,” a House aide told Al-Monitor.
The proposed sanctions come amid reports that Russia has begun to add mercenaries to the front lines of the conflict to support eastern Libya warlord Khalifa Hifter’s stalled offensive to take Tripoli; the help reportedly includes snipers, Sukhoi jets and precision-guided artillery. Around 200 Russians who have entered the conflict in recent weeks likely belong to the Wagner Group, a private military contracting firm with links to the Kremlin; some believe the move is linked to corralling the country’s oil supplies.
