France’s Embassy in Libya commented on the meeting of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), and military and security leaders in Benghazi, in the presence of the UN Envoy to Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily
The French Embassy tweeted its support for the efforts of Bathily to secure the holding of elections this year.
Notably, Bathily held talks with the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi. They discussed an internationally-coordinated exit of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya
Bathily gave a full briefing on his recent visits to Sudan, Niger, and Chad. In addition to his meetings with a number of local parties, and the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) members.
He praised Al-Mnifi’s support for holding elections before the end of 2023, saying that the Presidential Council is a key partner in the United Nations’ plan to organize elections.
Bathily added that Sudanese and Chadian officials affirmed their commitment to “pursue cooperation and support for a coordinated withdrawal of all mercenaries and foreign forces, and their reintegration into regular forces.” He called for UN support to enhance border security between Sudan, Chad, and Libya.
He affirmed 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.”
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
