On Thursday, the UN Security Council called on Secretary General, Antonio Guterres to deploy ceasefire monitors to war-torn Libya
In a letter to Guterres, the Security Council said that he should “swiftly establish and deploy an advance team to Libya,” if security conditions and COVID-19 requirements allow.
The letter stated that the advance team should report on preparations and “practical proposals” for ceasefire monitoring after coordinating with Libya’s Joint Military Committee (JMC), “as soon as possible and no later than 45 days from the date of this letter.” This will enable members to change the mandate of the UN mission in Libya, currently known as UNSMIL.
Control of the country is split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and the eastern-based Libyan Parliament which is supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The fragile October ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva has largely held, despite threats by both sides to resume fighting. In a report late last year, Guterres called for the creation of an unarmed observer group for Libya. This would consist of civilians and retired military personnel from the African Union, the European Union, and the Arab League.