Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
A newly introduced bilateral agreement between Turkey and Libya, purportedly designed to enhance law enforcement cooperation, raises suspicions of being a strategic move to camouflage Turkey’s ongoing military operations in Libya.
This agreement positions Turkey, a country already at the forefront of violating UN sanctions on Libya, as more deeply involved and entrenched in military actions in the North African country under the pretext of strengthening law enforcement capabilities.
The agreement, formalized as a memorandum of understanding (MoU), was submitted to the Turkish Parliament for debate and likely approval on March 25. Initially signed in October 2024, the MoU, at face value, aims to foster collaboration in several areas, including public order protection, counterterrorism efforts, border management, election security and combating illicit drug and arms trafficking.
In addition, it extends to maritime security, irregular migration control and VIP protection. The document also outlines procedural mechanisms for intelligence sharing, personnel exchanges, capacity-building programs and the establishment of specialized training centers to enhance the law enforcement capabilities of both nations.
However, this initiative appears to be a calculated attempt by the government of Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reframe Turkey’s controversial military training programs in Libya.
The UN documented in detail Turkey’s violations of UN Security Council sanctions while providing military training programs for Libya:
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The UN has repeatedly flagged Turkey for violating sanctions by providing military training to Libya-based factions aligned with Turkish interests. These operations are now being rebranded as law enforcement collaboration in an effort to evade scrutiny under the UN sanctions regime.
According to a report submitted to the UN Security Council on December 6, 2024, Turkey committed 14 violations of the sanctions regime between December 2022 and August 2024, primarily related to providing military training in defiance of the arms embargo.
Turkey defended these actions, asserting that they were conducted under prior MoUs signed in April 2012 and November 2019. The UN Panel of Experts on Libya stated that such training, including that conducted outside Libya, constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), which prohibits military assistance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s cover letter that was sent to parliament asking for the ratification of the MoU on law enforcement cooperation between Turkey and Libya:
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With the new MoU, Turkey aims to redirect its training programs under the umbrella of law enforcement cooperation, effectively sidestepping international sanctions. The UN sanctions on Libya do permit certain exemptions for training programs aimed at strengthening law enforcement capabilities, provided that they are directly tied to the country’s humanitarian needs, such as civilian protection, humanitarian aid delivery or combating human trafficking.
This latest MoU between the Erdogan government and Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) seeks to exploit these exemptions. The wording of the cooperation areas in the MoU carefully mirrors the language used in the UN sanctions regime, emphasizing the enhancement of public order, counterterrorism, border control and election security.
What is more, the document outlines provisions for joint efforts in maritime security, migration control and VIP protection — all areas that are particularly susceptible to being framed as law enforcement activities rather than military operations.
The UN report listed violations of Turkey in military training programs in Libya:
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The agreement, which is set to remain in effect for five years with automatic renewals unless terminated, also specifies that Turkish training teams will be deployed to Libya’s law enforcement agencies as needed. These teams, composed of expert trainers, will offer training in line with the specific content, location and number of trainees involved.
A secrecy clause included in the MoU restricts the sharing of information with third parties without explicit written consent from both Turkey and Libya, casting a wide net of confidentiality over training programs, their content and their scope.
Turkey’s failure to respond to UN inquiries about its violations further complicates the situation. Between November 2023 and October 2024, the UN sent 15 letters to Turkey seeking clarification on the alleged violations. Turkey responded to only five of these letters, remaining silent on the others.
Turkey’s violations extend beyond military training. Over the years, it has been implicated in sending sophisticated weaponry, military personnel and intelligence to factions in Libya, as well as deploying Syrian mercenaries. The UN experts have raised concerns that these actions undermine efforts to stabilize the country and have broader implications for regional security.
The Libyan civil war, ignited by the NATO-backed ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has created a power vacuum that various factions have fought to fill. Despite the creation of a unity government in 2015 under UN mediation, the country has remained plagued by political instability and military conflict.
International actors, including the UN and the European Union, as well as regional powers such as Egypt, have expressed grave concern over Turkey’s involvement in Libya. Despite the UN Security Council’s condemnation of violations and foreign interventions, it has failed to hold Turkey accountable, leaving the international community largely powerless in addressing the ongoing crisis in Libya.
