[3][4] After the end of the Fezzan campaign, he fled to Agadez and helped other Gaddafi loyalists, most notably air force commander Ali Sharif Al-Rifi, escape to Niger.
[7][8] In February 2019, Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, appointed Kanna as commander of the southern (Sabha) military zone.
[11][1] After the fall of Tripoli on August 28, 2011, Bani Walid, Sirte, and Kanna's southern forces in Sebha were the only major cities still controlled by the Gaddafi regime.
[13] On September 6, 2011, a large convoy of pro-Gaddafi Tuareg fighters in Kanna's southern battalion crossed into Algeria before entering Niger.
[16] After his appointment, Kanna claimed that his forces would not be involved in politics and called for the unification of Libya between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives.
[27][28] Kanna advocated for the unification of the Libyan armed forces while attending the graduation ceremony of the Ubari Military Training Center on September 28, 2022.