Walid Ammar Muhammad Ammar Al-Lafi

Walid Ammar Muhammad Ammar Ellafi (born 9 July 1985) is a Libyan producer, director and politician who has served as the minister of state for communication and political affairs in the Government of National Unity (GNU) since 2021. He also served as the acting minister of foreign affairs in the GNU from September to November 2023.

Ellafi was born in Tripoli and studied at the University of Tripoli and the Higher Institute of Computer Technology. He started his career as a developer at Microsoft, before founding and directing the media company Artec in 2008 and the IMG broadcasting group in 2013. He was the director of several media channels from 2014 to 2021, and has also produced and directed several Arabic television programmes and films since 2014.

An Islamist, Ellafi is known for his close relationship with Islamist militant leader Abdel Hakim Belhaj. He has aligned himself with the Muslim Brotherhood since the collapse of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, but is registered as a political independent. In 2013, he became the head and director of Al-Naba TV, which he used to promote and support armed Islamic terrorist groups against the Libyan National Army and its commander Khalifa Haftar during the Second Libyan Civil War. After the end of the civil war, he was appointed to the GNU by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. As minister of state for communication and political affairs, he has organised government initiatives to implement Sharia law and promote what he sees as Islamic values across Libya.

Early life and career Walid Ammar Muhammad Ammar Ellafi was born on 9 July 1985 in Tripoli, Libya. He graduated from the University of Tripoli and the Higher Institute of Computer Technology in 2007.

In 2006, Ellafi worked as a developer at Microsoft. In 2008, he co-founded the media company Artec, where he was a director until 2013. In 2013, he became the founder and director of the broadcasting group IMG in 2013, and from 2014 to 2021 he also served as a director at several other media channels.

Political career

2011–2021: Support for Islamist groups Following the overthrow of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, Ellafi associated himself with the Muslim Brotherhood, which he joined in 2012, though he has remained registered as a political independent. He became known for his close relationship with Islamist militant leader Abdelhakim Belhaj and has been seen as the public face of the elusive leader in the media. Ellafi also became an official for the media wings of the Benghazi Defence Brigades and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.

During Ellafi's tenure at Al-Nabaa TV, the organisation pursued an editorial policy of promoting and supporting several Islamic terrorist groups in Libya, including Al-Qaeda, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna, the Islamic State in Libya and Ansar al-Sharia. Under Ellafi, Al-Nabaa TV was proscribed as a terrorist channel by several Arab countries, including the internationally recognised government of Libya at the time.

By 2015, Al-Nabaa TV had become the main backer of the Islamist National Salvation Government (NSG), supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, in the Libyan media. In the same year, Ellafi and the outlet drew criticism for denying the kidnapping and beheading of Copts in Libya. A reporter on the outlet falsely claimed that a video of the beheadings by the Islamic State was fake, as the group could not have perpetrated the attack because of their limited supplies and influence. In this office, he is responsible for the GNU's media policy and communications, as well as for supporting the conduct of elections. Ellafi's appointment drew criticism from political observers because of his past connections to terrorism.

Personal life Ellafi is married with two children. He speaks Arabic. Politically, he is an Islamist, though he is registered as an independent.