On Monday, the United Nations Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) said that the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), met in Tripoli on Sunday, in the presence of the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Abdel-Razek Al-Nathouri, and his counterpart of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Mohamed Al-Haddad, in addition to security units in the western, eastern, and southern regions.
UNSMIL said that the discussions focused on the role of the military and security institutions in providing a conducive environment for advancing the political process, and holding free and fair elections in 2023.
The meeting emphasized that “dialogue should be Libyan–Libyan, inside Libya, reject any foreign interference in Libyan affairs. As well as reiterate their full commitment to the outcomes of the dialogue between the military and security commanders that were decided during their first and second meetings held respectively in Tunis and Tripoli.”
They rejected fighting and all forms of violence throughout the entirety of Libya’s territory, stressing the “continuation of work towards unifying the military institutions through the Chiefs of Staff; unifying the security institutions; and the rest of the state institutions.”
The meeting also reaffirmed the need to form a unified government, in addition to increasing efforts to address the challenges facing displaced people and those affected by fighting and wars.
The attendees reiterated the need for the completion of national reconciliation and reparation efforts, commitment to pursue elections, and the need for the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) to complete their tasks.
According to UNSMIL, the attendees agreed to hold the next meeting during the month of Ramadan in Benghazi.
Earlier in March, Libyan military factions agreed to facilitate free and fair elections in the country this year, UNSMIL said.
UNSMIL has hosted a meeting for the JMC, in the presence of Bathily. A number of military commanders in the West and East of the country participated in the meeting.
Bathily endorsed the outcome and saluted the “patriotic spirit demonstrated by all participants during this meeting.” He called on all security and military leaders to “support this timely initiative.”
According to a statement by UNSMIL, the meeting aimed to “establish a safe and conducive environment for the political process, and for holding free and fair elections in 2023.” They stressed that “the interests of Libya and its people come first and transcend all personal interests of all parties.”
The participants agreed to “come together and move forward towards organizing free and fair elections in Libya this year.”