The opening of the Misrata-Sirte road is due to the withdrawal of mercenaries, the Libyan army says
The opening of the road connecting the western port city of Misrata and northern Sirte is due to the withdrawal of mercenaries and the removal of mines in the region, UN support for the National Accords (GNA) army said on Tuesday.
The commander of the Sirte-Jufra Joint Operations Unit, General Ibrahim Beytulmal, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the decision taken during the military negotiations between the rival sides to open the coastal road was due to the withdrawal of Russian Wagner and Janjaweed mercenaries and the removal of miners. ”
The sixth round of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission meetings between representatives of the Libyan army affiliated with the legitimate Libyan government and forces in line with Putin’s general Khalifa Haftar took place last week in Sirte to promote the implementation of the recently concluded ceasefire .
As a result of the talks, which began on October 19, it was agreed that the coastal road, which connects important population centers in the country to the east and west, would be opened while mines on this road would be removed for the safe passage of civilian and armed units. Foreign powers would also mainly withdraw to Tripoli and Benghazi.
The talks took place under great international pressure after the warring parties agreed on a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement last month in Geneva. Previous diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict have repeatedly collapsed.
In parallel with military talks, six days of direct talks were held in Tunisia and ended on Sunday evening, during which rival delegates agreed to hold national elections on December 24, 2021.
The political talks will continue online in a week’s and will focus on the mechanisms for forming a new government that will monitor the votes.
