Libyan lawyer, Suleiman Al-Wafi has blamed the country’s executive and military authorities for, “working for years to allow foreign interference in the country’s affairs; and then wondering who is responsible for this.”
Al-Wafi said, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the war on Tripoli, which prompted the parties to the conflict to seek the help of foreign forces and mercenaries, has ended. However, the eastern and western sides of Libya are still affected by the repercussions of such a war.”
The expulsion of those mercenaries and foreign forces has topped all talks related to the political crisis in Libya. Especially since the withdrawal of the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces to Sirte in June 2021, after they failed to enter the capital, Tripoli.
The interim Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba has so far retained the presence of Turkish forces and Syrian mercenary groups in Tripoli. Elements from the Russian “Wagner” private military company, also remain in the eastern region, which is controlled by the LNA, and led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The foreign forces deployed in Libya are subjected to disputes and bargains between Moscow and Washington over who will leave the country first.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) says that there are no signs that the Wagner forces will soon leave Libya. In addition, Al Wafi believed that the repercussions of the Libyan crisis will drag the country to a prolonged state of “No War, No Peace.”
On the other hand, the Head of the Libyan Voice of the People party, Fathi Omar Al-Shibli, said that, “since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, some Libyans have sought help from foreign countries against each other.”
On 8 February, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) approved the establishment of an integrated mechanism for joint coordination and data exchange. This is to facilitate the full withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country.
The decision was announced at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Cairo, chaired by the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily.
Al-Shibli believed that Wagner forces came to Libya at the request of the eastern-based administration to counter those in the west, who sought the help of Turkey for the same purpose. He added that, “these parties do not represent the whole Libyan people.”
Since entering combat operations in Tripoli in September 2019, Wagner’s presence there has swelled to roughly 2,000 mercenaries.
Meanwhile, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), the total number of Syrian mercenaries in Libya was around 7,000. The United Nations puts the total number of all foreign forces in the country at 20,000.
This comes in line with the memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation signed in November 2019 between Turkey and the former Government of National Accord (GNA), then headed by Fayez Al-Sarraj.
Turkey considers its military presence in Libya “legal.” It says this is aimed at helping the country establish a unified army, that brings together all the forces from the east and west under one umbrella.
Al-Shibli explained that those foreign forces and mercenaries are still present in Libya, due to the Parliament and the High Council of State’s (HCS) “failure to reach a political solution for the country, and their persistent attempts to cling to power.”
“If the Libyan people freely elected their President, all these forces and mercenaries will leave.”
Turkey has withdrawn a limited number of Syrian mercenaries from Libya over the past months, but the problem of foreign troops and militia presence in the war-torn nation remains unresolved.
