DUBAI: UN report accuses Blackwater founder Erik Prince of aiding in violations of an international arms embargo on Libya, putting military contractor at risk of UN sanctions, diplomat says with access to the report.
The report of the UN expert group monitoring the ban on arms transfers to Libya says Prince-controlled companies provided three planes to help send helicopters and military contractors to help the warlord Libya Khalifa Haftar, with Russian support.
The plan to send Western mercenaries to Libya was developed as foreign weapons and fighters poured into the country in 2019 and 2020 from various external powers, including Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, deepening a conflict. which has been maintained since 2014, the report says, according to the diplomat.
Mr Prince is likely to be referred to the UN Sanctions Committee, which could order the freezing of his property or a travel ban, according to the New York diplomat and a former official with knowledge of the situation. Permanent members of the Security Council, including the United States, Russia or China, could veto any possible sanctions against Prince, who has had relations with the three countries.
“Erik Prince had absolutely nothing to do with any operations in Libya in 2019 or at any other time,” a spokesman for Mr Prince said in an email.