On Thursday, Libya’s rival Chiefs of Staff are to hold a face-to-face meeting in Benghazi, in a step that may lead to announcing the formation of a joint force to secure the elections and borders, according to Al-Arabiya news.
The eastern-based Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Chief of Staff, General Abdel-Raziq Al-Nathouri, and the western region’s Chief of Staff, General Mohamed Al-Haddad will also discuss the unification of the military institution.
It is expected that Al-Haddad will arrive on Thursday evening to Benghazi, in a meeting that will also be attended by military leaders from both sides.
Last month, Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) met in Tripoli in the presence of UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily. The meeting was attended by Al-Nathouri and Al-Haddad, in addition to security units in the western, eastern, and southern regions.
The United Nations Support Mission to Libya (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.