The Head of the Sudanese Liberation Movement, (SLA), Minni Arko Minnawi, denied the presence of any forces affiliated with his movement in Libya.
Darfur 24 news quoted Minnawi saying that all his forces “are present in Sudan’s Darfur only.”
Minnawi urged the Sudanese government to cooperate with the international community to “withdraw any Sudanese forces present on Libyan soil.”
A joint military committee in Libya adopted a plan to expel foreign mercenaries, whose numbers the United Nations (UN) estimates at about 20,000 fighters. Darfur 24 news reported that Sudanese factions “have been involved in the armed conflict there for years.”
Notably, the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, confirmed the presence of two types of Sudanese mercenaries in Libya. She stressed that the responsibility of the Sudanese government lies in ensuring that they do not pose a threat to Libya, and that their departure is part of the democratic development and stability in it.
On the sidelines of her participation in the Libya’s Stability Council, which was hosted by the capital on October 22nd, Al- Mahdi said that the first type of mercenaries from Sudan are the least numerous who follow the movements that signed the peace agreement with the Sudanese government in Juba. They are committed to this agreement according to which there will be complete demobilization and reintegration program.
Earlier this month, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) in Libya announced that it reached an agreement with Sudan, Chad and Niger to withdraw their mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libyan territory.
This came during the meeting held between the 5+5 JMC members and representatives of these countries in Cairo.
The meeting was also attended by the Head the UN mission to Libya, Ján Kubiš. The talks focused on the mechanism and ways to permanently remove African mercenaries from Libyan territory.
In its final communiqué, the JMC stressed that the representatives of Sudan, Niger and Chad expressed their full readiness to coordinate over the exit of all affiliated fighters from Libya and ensure that they would never return again.
Notably, in Saturday the JMC launched a new round of UN-sponsored talks in Egypt’s capital Cairo to discuss plans for the withdrawal of foreign forces.
After the meeting held in Geneva on October 8th, the JMC signed a comprehensive Action Plan for the gradual, balanced, and sequenced withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libya.