Rival Libyan military officials pledge to the UN their support for the country’s political future

9 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Senior military officials from the rival Libyan administrations in Tripoli and eastern Libya have pledged to safeguard the country’s stability on its way to holding the long-awaited elections, scheduled for the end of the year, according to the conclusions of the meeting held on Friday in Benghasi, in the east of the country, under the auspices of the UN.

During the meeting, the so-called 5+5 Military Commission, which brings together military representatives from both administrations, “reaffirmed the willingness of the attendees to provide all kinds of support to ensure all stages of the elections,” according to a statement from the Mission of United Nations Support in Libya (UNSMIL) issued late Saturday on the conclusions of the meeting.

The special envoy of the mission, the Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily, also explained other aspects discussed at the meeting, in particular “on the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters” in the country, and the progress in the negotiations for the exchange of prisoners from war.

In this sense, the UN thanked the General Command of the east of the country for its recent decision to release six detainees from the “western region”, in reference to the Tripoli authorities, “who are in custody for security reasons”.

Similarly, the committee has promised to address “practical measures” to begin to address the crisis of internally displaced persons and missing persons and ensure their safe return “through coordination between the security agencies concerned in the various regions of Libya.” .

In his first account of the meeting Bathily highlighted the event as “a new historic step” of “extraordinary importance” following the first meeting of the commission, held on March 26 in Tripoli, which will meet again at the end of Ramadan (around to April 21) in the town of Sabha, in the southwest of the country.

The roadmap for the elections, initially scheduled for the end of 2021, is completely paralyzed by the conflict between Tripoli and the parallel authorities in the east of the country, and the security of the population is threatened by sporadic clashes between armed groups, particularly in areas close to oil fields.