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Russia Rebuilds Libyan Airbase to Fuel African Military Expansion, Analysts Say

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Russia Rebuilds Libyan Airbase to Fuel African Military Expansion, Analysts Say
A former Libyan Air Force MiG-23 sits in a hangar on July 5, 2011, at the Benina Airforce base in the Libyan rebels stronghold city of Benghazi. (Source: Getty Images)

The Kremlin is systematically restoring a network of airbases in Libya to support Russian military operations across Africa, including activities involving the so-called “African Corps ” of the Russian Defense Ministry, analysis by the Jamestown Foundation  reported on April 17.

According to the report, one key development is the revival of a long-abandoned airbase near Matan al-Sarra, close to the Chadian border.

The base, unused since 2011, is now being refurbished to serve as a strategic hub for logistics, including refueling stops for military cargo planes en route to central Africa. This location also offers Russia a foothold to monitor migrant flows toward Europe and support operations in Sudan.

Restoration work at Matan al-Sarra began in December 2024. The effort involves not only Russian personnel but also Syrian contractors and military forces, suggesting a broad coordination effort. Analysts believe this airbase will serve as a forward operating post in Moscow’s growing campaign to assert influence in Africa.

Extreme environmental conditions in the area—scorching temperatures and virtually no rainfall for half the year—underscore the logistical challenges of maintaining a sustained military presence.

Lybian Matan Al Sarra airbase in southeastern Lybia, being prepared for Russian use, January 2025. (Source: MAXAR)
Lybian Matan Al Sarra airbase in southeastern Lybia, being prepared for Russian use, January 2025. (Source: MAXAR)

The region has been under the control of a battalion led by one of the sons of Libyan warlord Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar since 2011, indicating the airbase project is likely part of a broader Kremlin-Haftar agreement.

Russia has been steadily deepening its ties with Haftar’s forces. Back in 2020, Moscow delivered at least 14 MiG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets to Libya. In return for continued cooperation, Haftar may now be seeking access to more advanced Russian-made weaponry, the Jamestown Foundation suggests.

Russian-made MiG-29, supplied to Libya at the air base of Al Youfra, in central Libya, November 2022. (Source: Information Division of the LNA General Command)
Russian-made MiG-29, supplied to Libya at the air base of Al Youfra, in central Libya, November 2022. (Source: Information Division of the LNA General Command)

To consolidate control over Matan al-Sarra, Russian forces have likely negotiated alliances with local power players, including the Toubou—an influential nomadic ethnic group that controls over 450 square kilometers of land—and the rival Arab Zuwayya tribe.

The Toubou-controlled territory is particularly valuable to Moscow for its gold mining operations in Sudan’s Darfur region and for extending its influence into neighboring Chad.

Interestingly, Matan al-Sarra holds historical significance. It was from this very base that Haftar, then a commander under Muammar Gaddafi , launched an unsuccessful military campaign against Chad in 1989.

Following the failed offensive, he defected to the US in 1990 and reportedly shared key intelligence on Soviet-era weaponry. Haftar returned to Libya in 2011 after the fall of Gaddafi, ultimately aligning himself with the Kremlin.

Earlier, reports emerged that Belarus’ state-owned airline Belavia, which has been crippled by Western sanctions, was in the process of acquiring three Airbus A330 aircraft previously registered to Gambian airline Magic Air.

Industry experts suggest the move could provide Russia with a new loophole for bypassing aviation sanctions.

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The Africa Corps is a Russian paramilitary group controlled and managed by the Russian government, to support Russian political influence and Russia-aligned governments in Africa. The Corps largely took over the operations of the Wagner Group PMC in Africa, by subsuming and rebranding its structures.

The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, DC-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policymakers about events and trends, which it regards as being of current strategic importance to the United States. Jamestown publications focus on China, Russia, Eurasia, and global terrorism.

Politician and military figure of Libya. From 1969 to 2011 he was the head of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Killed in 2011 during mass opposition protests.