On Saturday, the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC), which resulted in the ceasefire last October, is set to hold a meeting on June 7th and 8th in Tunis under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and France, according to Africa Intelligence News Website.
The French website explained that the military discussions will mainly focus on negotiating the disarmament of the militias and the withdrawal of foreign forces – two domains in which little progress has been made to date.
Libya has had two competing governments since March when the eastern-based Parliament appointed Fathi Bashagha to replace the Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, renewing a standoff between the East and West of the country.
Al-Dbaiba, who was chosen as interim Prime Minister a year ago in UN-backed talks, has refused to cede power to Bashagha.
During April’s meetings, the UN Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said the Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) are both responsible for the constitutional path in the country and have to shoulder the responsibility to establish a comprehensive solution to the crisis.
Libya descended into turmoil and violence following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time ruler Moammar Gaddafi and divided the country into two camps.
In recent months, Egypt has hosted a set of meetings to bridge the gap between various Libyan parties and foster dialogue.
Cairo has since been pushing for a political settlement in its western neighbor, the disarming of militias, and an end to foreign intervention in the country.
Egypt hosted a meeting in October for Libya’s 5+5 JMC to discuss plans to remove foreign mercenaries and troops from Libyan lands.
During the UN-sponsored meeting, the JMC agreed to “fully” cooperate to ensure the exit of all foreign fighters belonging to their countries from Libyan territories, with representatives from neighbouring countries – Sudan, Chad, and Niger.