On 26 December, the British daily The Telegraph reported that China allegedly planned to send up to 92 armed drones worth USD 1 billion to the Libyan National Army (LNA) under Khalifa Haftar using a network of shell companies in the UK, Egypt, and Tunisia in order to evade the UN arms embargo. The drones were intended to be disguised as COVID-19 aid in exchange for discounted Libyan crude oil.
The details of this plan emerged from an ongoing investigation in Canada, where the concerned authorities have identified three alleged co-conspirators, working at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO; a specialized UN agency headquartered in Montreal), involved in the negotiations from 2018 to 2021. Two men were charged in Canada in April 2024 with conspiracy related to selling Libyan oil for military equipment. Both defendants plead not guilty. One of them is a Libyan citizen. The other is a Canadian citizen with Arab roots.
The Telegraph noted that the Chinese government likely approved this covert operation. Allegedly, China’s strategy behind this exchange of drones for discounted crude was to quickly decide the civil war (in the LNA’s favour) while gaining influence and securing economic benefits.