The Berlin conference on Libya gave hope for stability in the war-torn country when countries pledged to withdraw all foreign fighters and mercenaries on Wednesday.
Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush expressed hope that progress would finally be made with a key commitment from the first conference in January 2020 – to withdraw foreign fighters.
“We are making progress on mercenaries, so you will hopefully know in the coming days that mercenaries from both sides will withdraw and I think it will be encouraging,” she told reporters.
The withdrawal, agreed as part of a ceasefire in October, must be implemented in full and “without further delay”, according to the final declaration of the conference.
All parties must refrain from acts that exacerbate the conflict, including “financing military capabilities or recruiting foreign fighters and mercenaries,” it said.
The seven-page statement states that Turkey expressed reservations at the conference about the demand for immediate withdrawal.
Turkey has troops in Tripoli, which they claim were sent under a bilateral agreement with the government, suggesting they are not affected by a request for foreign troops to leave.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also took part in the talks, tweeting after the meeting: “Emphasized that we will continue to support peace, security, stability and sovereignty in Libya.”
According to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the underlying reason for this discussion has to do with the fact that “ordinary forces” – such as those who train security forces in the country – should not be compared to mercenaries.
“This has occupied us very intensively today,” Maas said after the conference.
Representatives from 16 countries and four international organizations attended a one-day meeting in Berlin, which hosted Germany and the UN.
“We will not rest until the last foreign force … has left the country,” Maas stressed.
However, he acknowledged that this could only happen gradually. The road to peace is not a sprint but rather a marathon, he said.
Germany and the other participants emphasized the importance of planned elections for the peace process.
“Hardly anything is as important for peace and stability in Libya as the nationwide election on December 24,” Maas said.
Maas demanded that the election date be respected: “After decades of dictatorship and years of conflict, the people of Libya finally want to be heard.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance of joint US-German measures to resolve the Libyan conflict. It is very important “that we send a united signal to Libya”, Merkel said on Wednesday before talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Berlin.
She said she was pleased that the United States was back on the multilateral stage. “Germany and the United States are partners in this. And we know our responsibility.”
Merkel stressed that she wanted the Libyan people to decide on their own future. She also wanted to make it clear that international partners were ready to follow them on this path. This is important given the strategic importance of the situation in Libya, for example with regard to Africa and the Afro-European relationship.
Blinken, on his first trip to Germany as US Secretary of State, reiterated Maas and called on the parties to Libya’s protracted conflict to take the chance for peace by getting foreign fighters out of the country and paving the way for elections in December.
“We have an opportunity that we have not had in recent years to really help Libya move forward as a safe, secure, sovereign country,” Blinken said in Berlin with his German counterpart.
According to UN estimates, some 20,000 foreign mercenaries were stationed in Libya in December 2020 and the figure has not changed significantly. Weapon deliveries have not been stopped either.
Russia has been one of the biggest supporters of warlord Khalifa Haftar along with France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who also supported Haftar’s offensive against the capital Tripoli 2019.
The Wagner Group was formed in 2014 in Ukraine and is owned by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, and is intensely involved in several conflicts.
The group made its presence most pronounced in Syria and Libya, where Russia actively participated in the civil war and reportedly used the Wagner group as its proxy in the region. Although Russia does not officially recognize any cooperation with the Wagner Group, reports from the field show otherwise.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes the planned elections in war-torn Libya on December 24 are in jeopardy.
To achieve this goal, “urgent action” by the transitional government in the North African country is necessary, Guterres said in a video address at the beginning of the conference.
According to experts, the lack of a legal basis for the vote is one of the most pressing issues. Among other things, there is still disagreement about whether the Libyans should only decide on the parliament or also on a new president.
German diplomatic circles have also expressed doubts about whether the election will take place as planned.
The oil-rich country went into chaos after dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in a 2011 NATO uprising, which resulted in several forces competing for power.
In recent years, Libya has been divided between two rival administrations with the support of foreign forces and countless militias.
In October, after Turkey strengthened its support for the National Accord Government (GNA) based in Tripoli against the forces of Putschist General Haftar, the two camps agreed on a ceasefire in Geneva.
Peace efforts gained momentum after a temporary unity government took office in March to lead the country through the December poll.
But about 1.3 million people in Libya are dependent on humanitarian aid – an increase of 400,000 since last year, according to UN figures.
Living conditions and supplies such as electricity and water are still poor for the majority of Libyans. The people would like to see an upswing in the economy. However, corruption and nepotism are widespread.
Germany has taken on a mediator in the Libyan conflict, and Wednesday’s talks follow up on a major conference held in Berlin in early 2020.
Germany has concrete interests, as the main roads for refugees who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe pass through Libya.
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