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The UN announced this Friday 23. October a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Libya between the Khalifa Haftar camp in Benghazi and the government of national unity based in Tripoli. The warlords signed an agreement after five days of talks in Geneva.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the ceasefire reached in Switzerland on the same day between the Libyan parties and considered it “a fundamental step towards peace and stability in Libya”.
Since berlin conference in January 2020, three commissions negotiated to emerge from the crisis. The latter in Geneva was responsible for security and military matters. For Stéphanie Williams, head of Manul, the UN force present in the country, “there is a lot to be done in the coming weeks” and if the road to achieving this “global and permanent” ceasefire agreement has been “long and difficult “, what still needs to be done is also.
During her post-signing press conference, Stéphanie Williams addressed a final appeal to the foreign forces involved in Libya to stop their intervention, to withdraw their mercenaries and, above all, to respect the arms embargo, a decision that some countries have violated. for years.
I welcome the signing of a ceasefire agreement by the Libyan parties in Geneva under the auspices of @UN.
This is a fundamental step towards peace and stability.
Too many people have a little too long. Too many men, women and children have died as a result of the conflict.
António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 23, 2020
The departure of the mercenaries
It is therefore a notorious advance that has been completed, but which will very soon be confronted with the reality on the ground. In any case, the leaders of the two delegations have said that they will immediately apply the decisions taken in Geneva.
According to the agreement, foreign mercenaries must leave Libya within a 90-day period beginning this Friday 23. October. This is a very important point for peace to be effective. At the same time, the local armed forces must return to their bases and withdraw from the Sirte area.
Joint Military Committees will oversee the application of the agreement and take responsibility for the withdrawal mechanism and training of the joint forces entrusted with the security of the country.
First civilian flight Benghazi-Tripoli
As for the issue of militias, it is left to the new government of national unity, which should dissolve them, while integrating some of these elements into the regular army. The government must also complete the work of reuniting the army.
An inclusive meeting under the auspices of the United Nations, bringing together representatives of the two parties, of the former regime but also of civil society, will take place on 9 November in Tunisia. In particular, we should discuss the appointment of a government with national unity.
Finally, a concrete positive sign to note: for the first time this year, a civilian flight connected Tripoli to Benghazi this Friday morning.
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