Trump’s Africa adviser defends proposed Libyan deal: ‘Absolute partnership’

Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior Africa adviser and father of one of Trump’s sons-in-law, defended a proposed US deal for Libya on Tuesday. During Semafor's The Next 3 Billion event in New York, Boulos dismissed claims that the US plan would grant control of the country to a powerful military commander and his family. Instead, he emphasized that it would be an "absolute partnership," not a dictatorship.

Reports indicate that a power-sharing deal is being negotiated, with Saddam Haftar—the son of General Khalifa Haftar—potentially becoming president while Abdul Hamid Dbeibah would retain the role of prime minister. Critics have labeled it an "elite bargain" that could jeopardize efforts toward free elections.

Boulos explained that the US and its partners are working to unify Libya before UN-brokered elections. "It's all about unifying the institutions," he stated. When asked about whether the US withheld a UN General Assembly visa for Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Boulos declined to confirm or deny the claim.

The US has been engaging with both warring parties in Sudan, dealing with the army-led government as a de facto authority without officially recognizing it, while adamantly opposing any parallel governments. Boulos emphasized that Sudan is facing "the single largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world today," with nearly 35 million people in need of aid.

He stressed that the US has provided approximately $3 billion in aid since the fighting began in April 2023, calling the conflict "the single largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world today."