Divided Libya’s military rivals discuss army reunification.
Military commanders from both eastern and western parts of Libya met in the French capital, Paris, Monday and Tuesday, to discuss “the formation of joint units” to achieve common security goals which include “maintaining security on Libya’s borders, repelling terrorism and thwarting foreign destabilising interferences,” said the French foreign ministry on Tuesday.
The meetings were attended by Chief of General Staff of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Lieutenant-General Mohamed al-Haddad and Libyan National Army (LNA) chief of staff, Major-General Abdelrazak al-Nadori and included officers from the “5 + 5” Joint Military Committee.
The French ministry said the meeting took place “within the framework of working meetings focused on unifying military institutions and establishing stability in the country, within full respect of Libyan sovereignty.”
It added that the meetings had reflected “France’s support for dialogue between the security actors in Libya and the actions undertaken within the framework of the security working group, co-chaired by the United Nations”.
The ministry said UN-sponsored security working groups will be held in Benghazi on July 25.
The Paris meeting was described as part of efforts aimed at supporting and sustaining the ceasefire agreement signed on October 23, 2020 between the two sides that sit in the “5 + 5” Joint Military Committee. One of the main provisions of that agreement was the formation of a joint military force.
The talks to reunify the military in Libya have stalled, despite several local meetings and international attempts at mediation.
On May 24, Tripoli, hosted the first meeting of the security working group stemming from the Berlin Process International Working Committee. The meeting was attended by members of the “5 + 5” joint military committee from eastern and western Libya, along with representatives of the United Nations, France, Britain, Turkey, Italy and the African Union.
The LNA leadership announced in early March the setting up of a joint military unit to protect the borders as a first step to unify the military institution.
On June 17, the “5 + 5” Joint Military Committee discussed with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) procedures for removing mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country. At the two-day meeting in Tunis, UNSMIL pushed the two sides to set up between them a way to monitor the ceasefire.
UN special envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily, last March called on the Libyan belligerents to unify the Libyan army to shore up security and ensure the conditions for holding elections.
Libya’s civilian institutions and armed forces are split into two main camps in the east and west of the country. Two competing governments vie for legitimacy. One, based in Tripoli, had emerged from a UN-sponsored political agreement a year and a half ago and is headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah. Its main brief was to hold December 2021 elections, an effort which was abandoned amid multiple disagreements. Dbeibah has since refused to hand over power except to an elected government. The second government, based in the east of the country under Osama Hammad was appointed by the eastern-based parliament, the House of Representatives, but has been unable to take over in Tripoli and is still struggling to gain any traction.
Source: The Arab Weekly
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