The UN Envoy to Libya and the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily stated that Sudan confirmed its support for Libya.
In a thread on his Twitter account, Bathily stated that he met the Sudanese Minister of Defence, General Yassin Ibrahim in Khartoum. They reviewed the progress achieved by Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) and the Liaison Committees of Libya, Sudan, Chad, and Niger pertaining to the withdrawal of foreign fighters, foreign forces, and mercenaries from Libya.
Bathily added that General Ibrahim affirmed his ministry’s “commitment to pursue cooperation and support for a coordinated withdrawal of all these elements, and their reintegration into regular forces.” He called for UN support to “enhance border security between Sudan and Libya.”
The UN Envoy was received by the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who expressed support for UNSMIL’s efforts. He stressed that achieving peace and stability in Libya will contribute to the stability of the region.
“I briefed the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan on UNSMIL’s efforts to restore stability and peace in Libya, including through the return of foreign fighters, foreign forces, and mercenaries in coordination with their countries of origin.”
Bathily began an official visit to Libya’s southern neighbours. In a tweet, he said that his tour to Sudan, Chad, and Niger, is “part of the UNSMIL’s mandate to restore peace and stability in Libya, including through supporting the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.”
This is notably the withdrawal of all foreign fighters, foreign forces, and mercenaries from Libya. He added that the foreign presence in Libya “poses a critical risk to peace and stability in the country and the region. We need to work with our partners to address this challenge without negatively impacting Libya’s neighbouring countries.”
