DUBAI – A United Nations report accuses Blackwater founder Erik Prince of witnessing violations of an international arms embargo on Libya, putting the military contractor in danger of UN sanctions, according to a diplomat with access to the report.
The report of the UN Expert Group monitoring the ban on arms transfers to Libya says Prince-controlled companies have provided three planes to help send helicopters and military contractors to help Khalifa Haftar, the Russian-backed Libyan warlord.
The plan to send Western mercenaries to Libya has grown as foreign weapons and fighters spilled over into the country in 2019 and 2020 from a variety of foreign powers, including Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, deepening an ongoing conflict. since 2014, the report says, according to the diplomat.
Mr Prince is likely to be sent to the UN Sanctions Committee, which could order a freeze on his assets 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 US, Russia or China, could veto any potential sanctions against Mr Prince, who has had relations with all three countries.
“Erik Prince had absolutely nothing to do with any operation in Libya in 2019 or at any other time,” a spokesman for Mr Prince said in an email.