Hassan Al-Sughayer, the former Interim Government’s Deputy Foreign Minister, has stated that it is difficult to measure the objective size of any support Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi receives, given the ambiguity surrounding his movements and life. He ruled out the possibility of a real alliance between Saif Gaddafi and Russia.
“Russia lacks allies in the Libyan arena, as evidenced by the majority of the crisis actors’ alignment, especially in the western region, with Washington regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Al-Sughayer stated. However, he added that the Russians still deal with Saif Gaddafi as a bargaining chip, regardless of his chances of winning the presidency. What matters to them is that he is a Libyan party and has some supporters.
He added that the sudden appearance of Saif Gaddafi last year inside the election commission in Sebha, southern Libya, to submit his candidacy papers for the presidential elections after a period of disappearance from the spotlight since his release in 2017, was designed and directed by the Russians, perhaps in coordination with the Turks.
Al-Sughayer pointed out that Saif Gaddafi’s candidacy, as well as the candidacy of the head of the caretaker government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dbeibeh, contributed to the suspension of the electoral process at that time.
“Of course, the Russians do not own Saif Gaddafi, but they can influence him given his lack of resources, such as money and weapons. However, this does not mean that they are funding him,” Al-Sughayer concluded.