Libya’s army led by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) on Friday called for the withdrawal of Khalifa Haftar’s forces before a meeting of the Joint Military Commission in the city of Sirte in the coming days, reported Anadolu Agency.
“The supporting forces of the Sirte and al-Jufra operations [of the Libyan army] welcome holding the Joint Commission (5+5) meeting in Sirte in the upcoming days,” a statement released by the Libyan military read.
It stressed the “necessity of taking out the militias of the [Russian] Wagner and the Janjaweed and the withdrawal of Haftar from the scene.”
The statement said that the Libyan army would not hold any meetings in an area that is under the control of foreign mercenaries.
Libya has been facing a conflict for over a decade, since the overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) has complete control of the capital Tripoli and a rival administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar is controlling the east.
The two sides came to the negotiating table for UN-supported talks in September, with negotiations being held in Morocco, Egypt, and Switzerland. Last month, the United Nations announced that the two parties had reached a ceasefire agreement, in light of the talks held by the 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.
On Tuesday, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission agreed on the implementation of a cease-fire in Libya. The two parties have decided to form a military subcommittee to oversee the withdrawal of military forces to their respective bases and the departure of foreign forces from the front lines.
Tunisia is going to host face to face meetings of the representatives of the two sides on November 9 in an attempt to resolve the Libyan crisis and reach a political solution.
