US Private Security Firms Allegedly Operated at Libyan Military Bases in 2024

A recent investigation by Nordic Sentinel, published on May 21, 2025, shed light on the presence of US private security firms in Libya during 2024, Algerian outlet MenaDefense said. The article claims that fitness tracking data and open-source intelligence point to personnel potentially linked to Frontier Services Group (FSG) – an unusual company founded by Erik Prince (the founder of Blackwater) – operating at Libyan National Army (LNA) facilities between June and November 2024.

These revelations raise critical questions about the role of private military contractors (PMCs) in Libya, a country plagued by power struggles for over a decade. But what do we actually know about this presence, and what are the geopolitical implications?

In its investigation, Nordic Sentinel uses an innovative methodology: combining fitness tracker data with open-source research to trace the presence of American contractors at LNA bases led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the dominant figure in eastern Libya. The findings suggest that in 2024, individuals likely linked to FSG were present at key military installations. FSG, founded by former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, is a security, aviation, and logistics company focused primarily on Africa and projects tied to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

However, FSG has been under US sanctions since 2021 and is partially owned by the Chinese government, making its operations in Libya particularly sensitive.

Despite these claims, no independent source has fully confirmed FSG's presence in Libya in 2024. However, a separate report published by Libya Update in April 2024 did confirm that Amentum, another US defense contractor, deployed personnel to train armed groups allied with outgoing Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, based in Tripoli.

While FSG was not directly mentioned in that report, the activity by another US contractor supports the credibility of Nordic Sentinel's findings and indicates substantial US PMC activity in the country.

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has descended into political and military chaos. Control is contested between two rival governments: the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli led by Dbeibeh and the LNA in the east backed by Haftar. This split has created a power vacuum filled by both local and international PMCs.

For example, the Russian-backed Wagner Group is known to support the LNA, as reported by Reuters in 2017 and again by Brookings in January 2024. The presence of foreign contractors – whether Russian, Turkish, or now potentially American – highlights the internationalization of Libya's conflict.

If confirmed, FSG's involvement would represent a unique player in this environment. According to Wikipedia, Frontier Services Group markets itself as a logistics and security service provider for Chinese companies operating in Africa, denying any paramilitary activity. However, its ties to Erik Prince, whose controversial legacy with Blackwater is well-known, fuel suspicions of more aggressive operations. US sanctions and partial Chinese government ownership further complicate its role, raising questions about the motives behind its presence in Libya.

FSG's potential involvement, if verified, could have serious implications. First, it would signal deeper-albeit indirect-US involvement in a conflict Washington has officially kept its distance from since NATO's 2011 intervention. Second, the company's ties to China could suggest a convergence of Western and Chinese interests amid rising geopolitical competition.

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Libya officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. With an area of almost 1.8 million km² (700,000 sq mi), it is the 4th-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world. Libya claims 32,000 square kilometres of southeastern Algeria, south of the Libyan town of Ghat. The largest city and capital is Tripoli, which is located in northwestern Libya and contains over a million of Libya's seven million people.