A member of the Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), Lieutenant-General Faraj Al-Sawaa, said that the JMC is looking forward to unifying the army as soon as possible. This especially after the Parliament appointed a new government headed by the former Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha.
In statements to Sky News Arabia on Sunday, Al-Sawaa added that the JMC met last Wednesday in Sirte. They confirmed their commitment to the ceasefire agreement signed between the Libyan parties.
“We also affirmed the commitment of the outcomes of the Berlin Conference regarding mercenaries and foreign forces, and the discussion of opening the main road between Bugrain and Al-Jufra,” the Libyan General said.
He expressed optimism that “the security situation will improve under the new government.”
However, he said the JMC is concerned that the outgoing Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, would “buy the loyalty” of some militias in order to escalate as he refuses to hand over the power to the new Prime Minister.
“He (Al-Dbaiba) began to incite the militias, and the committee does not have complete control over them,” Al-Sawaa explained.
For his part, the JMC member, Major General Mukhtar Al-Naqsa, on Wednesday said that the removal of mercenaries and foreign forces requires a political decision to start implementing it.
The technical committees and teams are ready to implement the plan to remove mercenaries and foreign forces in the event of a political decision, he stressed.
The JMC held a meeting in the presence of all its members and the delegation of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), at the permanent commission headquarters in the city of Sirte.
The members also discussed the sustainability of maintaining peace and security in Libya. They are studying the development of successful mechanisms for the complete removal of mercenaries and the forces supporting them.
The Libyan senior military officers have discussed the Libyan military rapprochement and the unification of the military institution, as well as the convening of a social reconciliation in the country.