Mustafa Yahya, a member of Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), said that the consensus among the group was not affected by the political crisis.
In press statements, Yahya confirmed that the commission’s work remains ongoing without interruption. As this is based on the implementation of the plans laid out earlier.
On Thursday, rival armed groups in Libya mobilized in and around Libya’s capital. This came as the Parliament-backed Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha announced that he would enter the city, and take office. The incumbent PM, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba has refused to cede power, according to Reuters.
A large armed convoy affiliated with Bashagha, whom the Libyan Parliament swore in a week ago, moved towards Tripoli from Misrata. Libya’s Military sources said they did not immediately attempt to make any moves into the city.
Any attempt to install Bashagha in the capital may ignite fighting between the rival parties.
On Tuesday, Bashagha announced that he would arrive in Tripoli within two days, promising to take over the government there peacefully.
Dbaiba, who was elected a year ago in a UN Peace Process, claimed he would only hand over power to an elected government.
A Reuters witness on the main Coastal Road said there were military vehicles and fighters stationed along the road. Traffic was moving normally, and there was no sign of clashes.
The UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) voiced its concern at what it called “reports about the mobilisation of forces, and the movement of large convoys of armed groups that have increased tensions in and around Tripoli”.