TRIPOLI: Senior military figures from Libya’s rival eastern and western power bases have held an unprecedented meeting in the capital Tripoli, calling for a unified command over their troops.
General Abdelrazzak al Nadhouri, second in command of forces loyal to eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, visited Tripoli on Monday and Tuesday to meet with Libya’s chief of general staff in the country’s west, General Mohammad al Haddad.
“It is necessary to name a single chief of staff for the military institution and begin the reunification of the army,” the pair said in a joint statement following their encounter.
The meeting reportedly enabled work by the so-called 5+5 military commission made up of military officials from each of the rival camps to progress, including on the thorny issue of foreign fighters who were supposed to depart following an October 2020 ceasefire.
The sides also agreed to carry out border patrols, including in the south, in order to stem the flow of refugees and migrants and root out smuggling and trafficking networks.
“I am heartened by the outcome of the meeting between General Haddad and General Nadhouri,” the UN’s top Libya envoy Stephanie Williams said on Twitter. – Agencies
