The Chief-of-Staff of the GNU military, Mohamed al-Haddad was killed along with a group of senior colleagues on 23 December when the business jet they were travelling in crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara. The other fatalities were Feitouri Ghreibl, the commander of the GNU’s land forces; Mahmoud al-Quatwi, head of the Military Industrialisation Organisation; Mohammed al-Asawi Diab, advisor to al-Haddad, and photographer Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.

This crash unleashed a frenzy of rumours and conspiracy theories, including claims that foreign intelligence services were behind the incident. These rumours were fuelled when Turkish Transport Minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced on 7 January that the black box and cockpit voice recorder were damaged, preventing data extraction. The Falcon 50’s black box was ultimately transferred to the UK for analysis, after France and Germany declined to do it. Conspiracies were stoked yet further when on 13 January, a Cypriot flight attendant, who had been part of the crew that had brought the jet to Turkey before it crashed, was taken into custody for investigation. She was later released.

The situation has not been helped by the fact that during November 2025, Dbeibah and Menfi had been discussing ways to restructure the military, including by replacing al-Haddad. Indeed, one month since the incident, the rumours remain very much ongoing.  

…opening the door to a struggle for the top post…

Following the incident, al-Haddad’s deputy, Salehedinne al-Namroush, was appointed to take over as acting Chief-of-Staff. However, Dbeibah and Menfi need to find a permanent replacement. Doing so is proving challenging, as there are a number of individuals who are vying for the post. Among them is al-Namroush himself, who wants to stay on in the top job. Al-Namroush is from Zawiya and his getting the post would be a major coup for the town. 

However, other contenders include Zoubi, who also wants the position. Zoubi is from Misrata, which is equally keen on taking the post. Osama Juweili, the Commander of the Western Military Zone, who is from Zintan, is also believed to be interested, as is Abdelbasset Merwan, the former commander of the Tripoli Military Zone. Mahmoud Hamza, the head of Military Intelligence and Commander of Brigade 444 is also thought to want the position. Other names in the ring include Ahmed Abu Shama, who used to be military ruler of Sirte and who is a member of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission. 

Currently, these figures are all jostling for the post. Some look more likely to be in with a chance than others. Juweili is highly unlikely to get the post given the antagonism between him and Dbeibah. Merwan is also an unlikely candidate, as he sided with Abdulghani al-Kikli and the Stability Support Force against Brigade 444 back in 2021. At this time, he clashed with the Presidential Council, who had sided with Brigade 444.  

At the moment, the main contenders would appear to be Zoubi and al-Namroush, effectively making this a battle between Misrata and Zawiya. However, Abu Shama may also be in with a chance given his involvement in the 5+5 Joint Military Committee. 

…as al-Haddad will be a hard act to follow

Either way, al-Haddad is going to be difficult to replace. Although he was more of a figurehead who had no real constituency of his own, he served as a military officer during the time of the former regime but defected to rebels early on in the 2011 uprising. Thus, unlike many of the current contenders who emerged as militia leaders, he had a professional military background. He became a leading commander in the powerful Halbous Brigade in Misrata and went on to become the head of the Misrata Military Council. Critically, he was more-or-less accepted and respected by the authorities in the east. 

Al-Haddad was also a member of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission and was considered by the east as more of a neutral figure than other commanders operating in western Libya. He stayed out of the in-fighting that has characterised western Libya and proved open to meeting with senior LAAF figures, including the LAAF’s former Chief-of-Staff, Abdelrazzak al-Nadhuri. 

The likes of Zoubi, Namroush and Hamza are certainly not going to be deemed acceptable figures to the east. All three are known to be virulently opposed to Haftar and the LAAF. However, the choice will ultimately come down to who Dbeibah and Menfi can agree on. Given their recent efforts to reach out to Zawiya, as well as the fact that he is already serving as acting Chief-of-Staff, it seems likely that Namroush is in with the strongest chance. Namroush, who is from the Awlad Saqur tribe, has a PhD in Computer Engineering and worked in the military purchasing department under the former regime. He was appointed as Deputy Defence Minister to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in October 2019, going on to become Defence Minister in 2020. Namroush also has particularly close ties to Turkey and proved to be a key lynchpin in developing Ankara’s military relationship with the GNA.

Although Dbeibah nominated him to be defence minister in the GNU, his nomination was rejected by the House on account of his opposition to the LAAF. He was instead appointed as the GNU’s Commander of the Western Coast Military Zone, before being made deputy Chief-of-Staff. Given his relationship to Ankara, he is likely to be Turkey’s choice for the position. Furthermore, Dbeibah is well aware that if Namroush does not get the job, it will only increase the resentment that is already festering in Zawiya, which feels as though it has been sidelined by Dbeibah over the past year. 

However, Dbeibah needs to balance this with the competing demands of other individuals and areas. He, along with Menfi, also needs to make a decision sooner rather than later in order to draw a line under the competition for the post and as well as the rumours and theories about the circumstances of al-Haddad’s death. 

The January 2026 issue of Libya Focus also includes the following:

Implications

Politics

• A major partnership deal is signed to expand Misrata Free Zone port…
• High Council of State and House of Representatives fall out…
• Menfi makes a controversial appointment…
• Dbeibah’s sudden illness prompts speculation…

Security

• Chief-of-Staff is killed in crash…
• LAAF strikes military deal with Pakistan

Energy & Economy

• Energy summit to take place in Tripoli…
• CBL devalues the dinar…