DUBAI – A United Nations report accuses Blackwater founder Erik Prince of helping violate an international arms embargo against Libya, putting the military contractor at risk of UN sanctions, according to a diplomat with access to the report.
The report by the UN panel of experts overseeing the ban on arms transfers to Libya said Prince-controlled companies provided three planes to dispatch helicopters and military contractors to deliver to Russia-backed Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar in 2019 should help.
The plan to send Western mercenaries to Libya developed when foreign weapons and fighters from various external powers streamed into the country in 2019 and 2020. including Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which deepen a conflict that has been going on since 2014, the report said, the diplomat said.
According to the New York-based diplomat and a former official with knowledge of the situation, Prince is likely to be referred to the United Nations Sanctions Committee, which could order a freeze on his property or a travel ban. Permanent members of the Security Council, including the US, Russia or China, could veto possible sanctions against Prince, who did business with all three countries.
An expanded version of this report is posted on WSJ.com.
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