Syrian mercenaries in Libya are hindering stability in the north-African country, despite the ongoing discussions to grant confidence to the new Government of National Unity (GNU), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Tuesday.
The SOHR noted that 6,750 Syrian fighters remain in Libya. Since November, the fighters that have been returned to Syria, have only been replaced with new batches of soldiers.
Mohamed Al-Mnifi was elected as the new Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, while Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba was named as the new Prime minster. The transitional government will lead the country until general elections scheduled for 24 December 2021.
The presence of foreign mercenaries in Libya continues despite international demands for them to withdraw. According to the October ceasefire agreement, all foreign forces were supposed to withdraw from Libya within three months.
According to SOHR statistics, the number of recruits who arrived in Libya was estimated at 18,000 Syrians, including 350 minors under the age of 18. Meanwhile, the number of jihadists sent to Libya is thought to have been 10,000 fighters.