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France said that missiles belonging to its armed forces had been discovered in a Libyan base used by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, a strong man.
This admission raises new questions about the role of France in the conflict.
A statement from the Defense Ministry, confirming a report in the New York Times, said the US-made Javelin missiles discovered in June in a camp south of Tripoli had been bought by France.
But the ministry denied supplying Haftar in violation of the UN-imposed arms embargo, saying the French forces operating in the war-torn country had lost sight of them after being found to be defective. .
"Damaged and out of use, these weapons were temporarily stored in a warehouse before their destruction," he added. "They have not been transferred to local forces."
The anti-tank missiles, worth € 150,000 each, were seized when forces loyal to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli invaded the pro-Haftar base in Gharyan, 100 kilometers south of Tripoli.
The statement by the French Ministry does not explain how the missiles were lost and this discovery will probably reinforce the suspicions that Paris supports Haftar on the ground.
According to the French communiqué, these weapons were "intended for the protection of forces engaged in intelligence and counterterrorism missions".
Opponents of Haftar have called him a warlord and dictator in the making, but the strong man of the armed forces is supported by some Western countries and many countries in the region as a bulwark against Islamist groups .
On April 4, he launched an offensive against the Libyan capital to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Tens of thousands of displaced people
The fighting claimed the lives of at least 1,000 people and displaced tens of thousands of people.
France, under President Emmanuel Macron, has publicly denied having taken sides in the conflict and called for the implementation of a UN arms embargo.
The Libyan conflict has involved many regional and international actors and the country is flooded with foreign weapons despite the UN embargo.
Analysts say Haftar was supported by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia, the United States and France during offensives against Islamist militias who have placed the bulk of the country under his control.
The UN-recognized government, led by Sarraj, controls a much smaller part of the territory around Tripoli, in the west of the country, and enjoys the support of Turkey, Qatar and the United States. Italy, badysts said.
The role of France has caused tensions.
Macron has embarked on diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute after his election in May 2017, considering instability as a major security issue and a source of migration to Europe.
He invited Haftar and Sarraj to a peace conference in Paris in 2017, supposed to give the commander international legitimacy for the first time.
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