Turkey suspected of shipping arms to Libya despite UN embargo

ROME - The captain of a Lebanese-flagged cargo ship was arrested Wednesday by Italian authorities on suspicion of trafficking arms into Libya.

Italian prosecutor Francesco Pinto said that an investigation was launched after the allegations were voiced by a Lebanese crew member upon arrival in the northern port city of Genoa earlier this month.

The probe is looking into whether the captain oversaw the transport of tanks, rockets and other weapons alongside unidentified Turkish military officials in violation of a United Nations arms embargo aimed at ending nine years of fighting between rival factions in war-torn Libya.

The whistleblower, who told police he was seeking political asylum, alleged that military tanks were loaded onto the ‘Bana’ cargo ship at a Turkish port before being transported to Tripoli.

He provided photographs of the ship’s hold, and said that around ten Turkish agents and military officials boarded at Mersin, Turkey and stayed where the military equipment was being kept.

This comes after suspicions over the cargo ship’s activity were raised earlier in the week by an anonymous French military official who claimed that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier on January 29 spotted a Turkish frigate escorting the Bana, which made a stop at Tripoli’s port.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, fighter jets from the carrier later witnessed a delivery being made while on a reconnaissance mission.

Investigators in Italy hope that an analysis of the ship’s equipment, including the cellphones of crew members, will help shed more light on the Bana’s itinerary.

Vying for influence

Libya has been embroiled in military turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising deposed of long-time dictator Moamer Gathafi. Rival factions and foreign players have since vied for influence.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj controls the country’s west and capital Tripoli, faced with a fierce offensive from the east led by powerful commander Khalifa Haftar.

The UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Russia and France have sided with Haftar, while Turkey has ratcheted up its backing of Sarraj’s government, promising to send hundreds of Syrian mercenaries, many with affiliations with jihadist groups, to fight alongside GNA forces.

Italy meanwhile has campaigned for rigorous enforcement of the UN arms embargo on its former North African colony in an effort to regain its position as a geopolitical player in the region which is rich in oil and natural gas.

UN secretary General Antonio Guterres has called interference in Libya and violation of the arms embargo a ‘scandal’.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he would continue his support for Sarraj until dominance was established over the whole country.

The Turkish foreign ministry and military have ignored requests for comment over the whistleblower’s allegations, a week after Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara was doing all it could to ensure the embargo remained intact.

The Bana remains idle in Genoa, where it was initially supposed to transport a cargo of cars from the European Union to Misrata, Libya.