On Sunday, the Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Khoury, held talks with key international partners, including ambassadors and military attachés, to finalize preparations for the Security Working Group on Libya meeting scheduled for October 17 in the city of Sirte.
The upcoming gathering is expected to be a critical moment in supporting the stability of Libya as the country continues to recover from years of conflict.
Participants in the talks stressed the urgency of reinforcing the work of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission, which has been tasked with overseeing the ceasefire agreement reached in 2020.
The commission, made up of military leaders from Libya’s rival factions in the east and west, has played a central role in maintaining the ceasefire, but challenges persist, particularly in fully implementing its terms. The international community hopes that the Sirte meeting will help advance these efforts, especially in ensuring the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and strengthening Libya’s fragile peace.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been mired in political chaos and violent conflict. The division between the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli and the Parliament-designated rival administration in the east has left the country deeply fractured.
The 2020 ceasefire brokered by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission, under the guidance of the United Nations, has significantly reduced large-scale hostilities, but the situation remains precarious.
The upcoming meeting in Sirte represents a significant opportunity for Libyan and international actors to assess the progress made since the ceasefire and to tackle the remaining obstacles to peace.
The international co-chairs of the Security Working Group—comprising key ambassadors and military representatives—are expected to focus on pressing security issues, including the continued presence of foreign fighters and the disarmament of militias, which have complicated Libya’s path to stability.
The ceasefire agreement’s success is seen as a crucial step toward creating the necessary conditions for national elections, which have been postponed multiple times due to political disagreements and ongoing insecurity. Strengthening this ceasefire could help rebuild trust between Libya’s rival factions and set the stage for long-term peace and stability.
