Articles: Companies

Project Opus was a privately organized military undertaking intended to support Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s 2019 campaign against Libya’s internationally recognized government. Its planned capabilities included armed helicopters, aerial surveillance, maritime interdiction, and a component to kidnap or kill selected individuals. In 2021, a United Nations Panel of Experts connected the project to three UAE-based companies, a multinational team with a large South African contingent, and the rapid transfer of three fixed-wing aircraft that the Panel said were controlled by Erik Prince. Prince, through counsel, denied any involvement and asked the Panel to retract its report. This paper examines the evidence connecting him to the operation, the corporate and personnel networks that carried it out, the June 2019 collapse and evacuation to Malta, and the legal proceedings that followed. It argues that the strongest publicly reported case against Prince concerns procurement and facilitation, while allegations of direct command, personal financing, and official American authorization require separate proof. The case illustrates how difficult it is to establish accountability when military activity is distributed across companies, subcontractors, and jurisdictions. Continue reading →