Libyan agreement to unify efforts to reach elections – Details
In an important progress towards unifying Libya and its institutions, Libya’s security and military leaders reached a consensus at the Benghazi security meeting on Saturday to unify efforts to reach elections, overcoming numerous obstacles and points of disagreement and postponing the final statement.
Military and security leaders from eastern and western Libya met in the city of Benghazi on Friday evening to finalize consultations to unify efforts to secure elections before the end of the year and agree on unifying the country’s military and security institutions.
“The talks, which continued into the early hours of Saturday morning under the supervision of UN envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, took place with the participation of members of the Joint Military Committee (5+5) and security commanders from the capital Tripoli and others from the Libyan army.”
“We hope that these meetings will continue in any part of our country in order to overcome the difficulties and resolve all the problems that stand in the way of reaching free and fair elections, in which the Libyan people will choose who will rule them and express their hope and aspirations,” said General Amraj Al-Amami, Chairman of the Joint Military Committee (5+5) in eastern Libya, during a speech during the meeting.
In a speech to participants, Bathily called on the military and security leaders meeting in the city of Benghazi to exert all their efforts and work to reach the elections, expressing his hope for reaching agreements and real progress.
The Benghazi meeting comes two weeks after a similar meeting in the capital, Tripoli, during which it was agreed to “reject foreign interference in Libyan affairs,” and “continue to work towards uniting military institutions through the chiefs of staff, uniting security institutions and other state institutions, renouncing fighting and violence in all its forms, as well as creating a unified government to oversee elections.”
Observers believe that this military rapprochement between the east and the west of the country is a step that may lead to the unification of the military and security establishment and stop the deterioration of the security situation in the country, and lead to the establishment of agreements between the conflicting forces in preparation for the elections.
The Joint Military Commission (5+5) agreed during a meeting in Tripoli last March to “reject foreign interference in Libyan affairs,” and “continue to work on the path of unifying military institutions through the Chiefs of Staff, and unifying security and other state institutions.”
A previous attempt to hold elections in December 2021 failed; due to disagreements over election laws, including eligibility of each of the main candidates.
The security and military establishment has been divided for more than eight years between armed militias, rival military battalions, security agencies in the west, and a unified army in the east of the country, which has reflected negatively on the security situation in Libya.
