Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, served as Chief of Staff of the Libya Armed Forces between 2020 and 2025. He was appointed to this position in 2020 by the Government of National Accord and continued in office during the subsequent Government of National Unity. During the post-2011 period, he played a key role in military structures based in Tripoli and in organizing forces loyal to the Government of National Accord. He lost his life in an airplane crash on his return from an official visit to Türkiye in December 2025.

Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad was born in the city of Misrata in western Libya. Following the uprising that began in the country in 2011, he emerged as a prominent figure on the battlefield. He commanded the Halbus Brigade, one of the largest armed groups based in Misrata, which played a significant role in the conflicts across western Libya. In June 2017, he was appointed to the position of Commander of the Central Military Region, which encompassed a vast area of strategic importance.

Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad was appointed Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces on 29 August 2020 by Fayez al-Sarraj, President of the Government of National Accord. Simultaneously, his rank was elevated to that of general. The appointment occurred during a period of intense conflict between the forces based in Tripoli and armed structures in eastern Libya.

Al-Haddad held this position during the Government of National Accord and continued in the role during the subsequent Government of National Unity. Throughout his tenure, he operated as the highest-ranking military official of the Tripoli-based military establishment.

During his tenure as Chief of Staff, Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad initiated efforts to unify Libya’s fragmented military structures between the east and west. He held meetings with General Abdurrazzak al-Nazuri, Chief of Staff of the eastern Libyan armed forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, in Sirte and Tripoli.

He participated in negotiations under the United Nations-supported 5+5 Joint Military Committee on issues including the withdrawal of foreign fighters from Libya, the unification of military structures, and the creation of a unified national armed force.

During his term, he engaged in diplomatic contacts at regional and international levels on matters such as border security, counterterrorism, and military modernization. In this context, he made official visits to Tunisia and Algeria. In 2023, he signed a technical cooperation agreement in Rome, Italy’s capital, aimed at training Libyan special forces.

Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad played a key role in sustaining military relations between Libya and Türkiye. Türkiye had signed the Agreement on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in 2019, and during this period, Al-Haddad was among the senior figures supporting military cooperation.

During his tenure, he visited Türkiye on various occasions in 2020, 2024, and 2025, engaging in discussions to enhance cooperation in military education, advisory services, and institutional support.

On 23 December 2025, General Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces, made an official visit to Ankara at the invitation of Türkiye’s Chief of Staff, General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu. During the visit, he held meetings with Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Commander of the Land Forces, General Metin Tokel.

Following the visit, he departed from Ankara Esenboğa Airport aboard a private Dassault Falcon 50 jet bound for Tripoli, Libya’s capital. The aircraft, which carried Al-Haddad, took off at 20:10 and lost contact at 20:52. The aircraft was determined to have crashed in mountainous terrain near Kesikkavak village, in the Haymana district of Ankara.

Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad died on 23 December 2025 in an airplane crash near Kesikkavak village in the Haymana district of Ankara, while returning to Libya after official engagements in Türkiye. Alongside Al-Haddad, the crash claimed the lives of Libya’s Commander of the Land Forces, Fethi al-Gribil; Commander of the Military Industries Organization, Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Katavi; Chief of Staff Advisor Muhammad Asavi Diyab; and Press Office Photographer Muhammad Mahcub.

Following the crash, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh issued a condolence message for the deceased. Dbeibeh stated that the incident constituted a major loss for the country, its military institutions, and all Libyans.^【1】  The Libyan government declared three days of national mourning.