The UN on Friday urged mercenaries from Russia, Syria, Sudan and Chad to leave Libya, where the opening of a coastal road has raised hopes that a fragile peace will hold in the country.
Jelena Aparac, chair of the UN's working group on mercenaries, said foreign military contractors were obstacles to progress towards elections planned for December and that their exit from Libya was “long overdue”.
Her comments followed an announcement that Libya's warring sides had on Friday reopened the main coastal road across the conflict's front line, a central element of last year’s ceasefire aimed at ending a decade-long war.
“Nine months after the ceasefire agreement calling for the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, mercenaries and private military and security contractors continue to operate in the country,” said Ms Aparac.
“Their continued recruitment and presence in Libya impedes progress in the peace process and constitutes an obstacle for the coming elections.”
The working group, made up of five experts, said in a statement that “well-trained and well-armed private contractors from Russia, Syria, Sudan and Chad” had intensified the conflict in Libya.
Their presence, as well as the weapons they bring into the country, are in breach of a UN arms embargo, and pose a threat to security in neighbouring countries in North Africa, the experts said.
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Vehicles of the "Tripoli Brigade", a militia loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), parade through the Martyrs' Square at the centre of the GNA-held Libyan capital Tripoli on July 10, 2020. AFP -
Vehicles of the "Tripoli Brigade", a militia loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), parade through the Martyrs' Square at the centre of the GNA-held Libyan capital Tripoli on July 10, 2020. AFP -
Fighters loyal to the Libyan internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) are pictured near the frontline during clashes against forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, on June 1, 2019, in al-Sawani area, south of the Libyan capital Tripoli. AFP -
Members of the Tripoli Protection Force, an alliance of militias from the capital city, patrol an area south of the Libyan capital on January 18, 2019, during clashes with the Seventh Brigade group from the town of Tarhuna. Two days of clashes between rival militias near Libya's capital Tripoli have left 10 people dead and 41 wounded, the health ministry said on January 17. Fighting between armed groups erupted Wednesday despite a truce deal four months ago that had halted deadly battles in the city. AFP -
Libyans demonstrate in a street in the capital Tripoli to demand the withdrawal of all armed militias from the capital on November 22, 2013. Residents of Libya's capital were turning out Friday to press militias remaining in the city to follow others and withdraw, aiming to keep up the momentum following deadly clashes last weekend. Many of the groups have long rejected government calls to lay down their arms or integrate into the armed forces, triggering the frustration of Libyans who once hailed them as heroes for toppling Kadhafi. AFP
The UN last year estimated that some 20,000 foreign mercenaries were fighting in Libya, where Turkey was militarily backing a UN-recognised government in Tripoli while Russia, Egypt and others supported a rival administration in the east.
Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising against then-leader Muammar Qaddafi, but a UN-led peace process brought about a ceasefire last summer and a unity government was formed in February.
Since then, however, there has been little agreement on key steps forward, including on a constitutional basis for the elections scheduled in December and for the unity government’s budget.
Against the backdrop of this slow progress, the announcement of the opening of the long-shuttered coastal road near Sirte was heralded by the UN as an important milestone.
“The opening of the coastal road is a critical step to further the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” UN envoy Jan Kubis said in a statement on Friday.
“The next major step … is to commence the withdrawal of all mercenaries, foreign fighters and forces from Libya without delay, starting with the withdrawal of the first groups of foreign mercenaries and fighters from both sides.”
