300 foreign fighters removed from Libyan army
Libya’s Joint Military Committee (5+5) has confirmed the removal of 300 foreign fighters as a first installment of the ceasefire agreement.
The Libyan army is working to remove 300 foreign fighters in the areas it is securing as a first step towards implementing the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva on October 23, 2020, the committee said in a statement on Thursday.
In the course of transferring combatants to their countries, and taking into account all security precautions and conditions, direct coordination will be established with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya in coordination with these countries to achieve peace and stability in Libya and neighboring countries, the statement said.
The Committee added that the General Command of the Libyan Army supports and motivates the members of the Military Committee to move forward with courageous steps that preserve the dignity of the homeland and citizens and until all Libyan territory is liberated, out of the General Command’s concern for the national sovereignty and security of Libyan territory.
The operation came in response to a request from the French leadership by the general command, it said; “to launch an operational initiative to remove a first batch of foreign fighters in areas controlled by the armed forces, as an exception to the simultaneous and balanced exit clause agreed upon by committee members”.
Chadian Opposition
Last July, Libya’s Joint Military Committee (JMC) 5+5 announced the reopening of the coastal road connecting eastern and western Libya, after it had been closed for more than two years.
The committee also agreed on a time plan to remove mercenaries and foreign forces from Libyan territory simultaneously and gradually, but some parties obstructed this step, prompting the General Command to take the initiative by agreeing to expel 300 foreign elements from areas in the desert hinterland of the cities that are secured by the armed forces as a base. Some of them also work as mercenaries in the ranks of militias in the capital Tripoli.
Armed opposition groups from neighboring countries such as Chad and the Sudan are active in the vast desert in the desert hinterland of Libyan cities, especially in the south. The armed forces are working to secure the area and engage these mercenaries from time to time.
Freezing of agreements
The Libyan Joint Military Committee also called on the Presidential Council and the Government to freeze any agreements or memoranda of understanding with any country. It also agreed on a plan and measures to expel all mercenaries and foreign elements without exception.
“Earlier, the Libyan Joint Military Commission agreed with three countries to repatriate their mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libyan territory”.
“The JMC confirmed that three countries – Niger, Chad and Sudan – have indicated their willingness to cooperate to get their fighters out of Libya and back home.”
This came during the meeting between members of the military committee and representatives of these countries in Cairo, which concluded on Monday, in the presence of the head of the UN mission to Libya, Jan Kubiš.
