Libya’s rival commanders agree to start uniting military

Military commanders from Libya’s rival eastern and western authorities have agreed to start the process of reuniting the country’s military, Anadolu reported yesterday.

A statement posted on the Facebook page of the Libyan army based in Tripoli stated that this came following a meeting of military officials from the rival camps.

News reports said that General Abdelrazzak Al-Nadhouri, second in command of forces loyal to eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, visited Tripoli on Monday and Tuesday. He met with Libya’s Chief of Staff in Tripoli, General Mohammad Al-Haddad, and held fruitful discussions.

“It is necessary to name a single chief of staff for the military institution and begin the reunification of the army,” the commanders said in a joint statement.

READ: UN Secretary-General urges calm in Libya as protests spread

They agreed to carry out border patrols, including in the south, in order to combat illegal migration and root out smuggling and trafficking networks.

In response, the UN’s Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, tweeted: “I am heartened by the outcome of the meeting between General Haddad and General Nadhouri. Their spirit of cooperation and compromise is a model for the political class.”

I am heartened by the outcome of the meeting between General Haddad and General Nadouri, which builds upon the hard work of the Joint Military Commission (5+5) since the 2020 ceasefire agreement. Their spirit of cooperation and compromise is a model for the political class. https://t.co/hbhk80xJfu

— Stephanie Turco Williams (@SASGonLibya) July 19, 2022