Strongman Haftar back in Libya after long absence: AFP

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar returned Thursday to the eastern city of Benghazi after a long stay abroad, including for treatment in a Paris hospital, an AFP correspondent reported.

The 75-year-old, smiling and dressed in a black suit, greeted generals from his self-classd army after descending from a plane, in his first public appearance for weeks.

After walking down the red carpet, Haftar entered the airport lounge where officers, politicians and tribal dignitaries gave speeches of welcome.

Haftar was hospitalised in Paris in mid-April for what his spokesman said at the time was "normal checkups" after he fell ill during a scheduled trip abroad.

Conflicting reports on his absence fuelled rumours in the press and on social media in Libya about his health and possible death.

Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oil-rich country.

Haftar supports a parliament based in the east of the country, while a UN-backed unity government in the capital Tripoli has struggled to assert its authority nationwide.

His forces expelled jihadists from Libya's second city Benghazi in 2017 after a three-year-long battle.