Mohamed Siala, foreign minister in the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, has accused Jordan of supplying Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army.
Siala, on behalf of the Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a letter to the United Nations Security Council that foreign nations are supplying weapons to the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) in violation of the arms embargo.
Flight tracking data showed a Jenis Air Il-76TD flying from Jordan to Benghazi on that day. It had made previous trips from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to Libya.
The United Arab Emirates and Egypt support eastern forces of Khalifa Haftar which have been trying to take Tripoli. The internationally recognized administration based in Tripoli trying to fend off Haftar’s forces is backed by Turkey.
Jordan dislikes CH-4Bs
However, its six CH-4B UAVs were reportedly delivered about three years ago. The Royal Jordan Air Force told November 2018 it was not happy with the aircraft’s performance and was looking to retire them.
In a notice posted on its website on 3 June, the RJAF said it was looking to sell six CH-4B UAVs, a type made by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The RJAF acquired the type in 2016 along with AR-1 laser-guided missiles and FT-9 guided bombs.
