{
  "id": 9224877,
  "title": "Trump’s Africa adviser defends proposed Libyan deal: ‘Absolute partnership’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/trumps-africa-adviser-defends-proposed-libyan-deal-absolute",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-22T23:56:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Semafor",
    "slug": "semafor",
    "url": "https://www.semafor.com/article/09/22/2026/trumps-africa-adviser-defends-proposed-libyan-deal-absolute-partnership"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nReports 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.\n\nBoulos 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nHe 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.\"",
  "summary": "Massad Boulos pushed back on claims that a US plan for Libya would hand control of the country to a powerful military commander and his family.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Axios",
        "title": "Exclusive: Trump adviser ties high gas prices to refining",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/exclusive-trump-adviser-ties-high-gas-prices-to-refining",
        "published": "2026-09-22T17:26:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}