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The issue of mercenaries and foreign fighters has long been an obstacle before Libya’s landmark election.
Libya’s hostile parties have reached a preliminary agreement on the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries from North African countries. This move is seen as a crucial step in unifying the warring parties in this violent country.
The UN delegation mediating between rivals stated that a 10-member joint military committee with 5 representatives from each side (JMC 5+5) facilitated the talks at the three-day UN-Friday in Geneva .
It added that the plan, combined with the implementation mechanism, will become the “cornerstone of a gradual, balanced and orderly withdrawal process” for mercenaries and foreign troops.
The UN Special Envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, welcomed the move, calling it “another breakthrough achievement.”
Kubis said that Friday’s agreement “created a positive momentum, which should be built towards a stage of stability and democracy, including the holding of free, credible and transparent national elections on December 24. As a result, Accepted by everyone.”
The United Nations welcomes the signing of an action plan that is consistent with the ceasefire agreement, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the outcome of the Berlin conference last year.
Mercenaries and civil war
Prior to Libya’s landmark election, the issue of mercenaries and foreign fighters had long been an obstacle.
In December last year, Stephanie Williams, the then acting UN Special Envoy for Libya, estimated that in the past few years, there were at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya, including Russians, Syrians, and Sudanese. And Chadians.
Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled long-time dictator Gaddafi, Libya has been in chaos.
Over the years, the oil-rich country has split between the capital Tripoli and rival governments in the east of the country. Each side is supported by different foreign forces and militia organizations.
The division of Libya came into focus in 2019 when Khalifa Haftar, a traitorous military commander allied with the eastern government, launched an offensive to seize Tripoli from armed militias loosely aligned with the country’s capital, the United Nations recognized but weak government.
Haftar has the support of Egypt, the UAE, Russia and France. However, his 14-month campaign and demonstration in Tripoli finally failed in June 2020. Prior to this, Turkey sent troops to help a government recognized by the United Nations, which also received support from Qatar and Italy.
After the fighting was basically deadlocked, subsequent peace negotiations initiated by the United Nations achieved a ceasefire in October last year and established an interim government, which is expected to lead the country to participate in the December elections.
The ceasefire agreement also includes the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries within three months-something that has never been implemented.
After signing the agreement in Geneva, the hostile parties stated that they would go back to communicate with their bases and relevant international parties “to support the implementation of the plan and respect for the sovereignty of Libya.”
The agreement also requires the deployment of United Nations observers to monitor the ceasefire prior to the implementation of the withdrawal plan.
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