Dbeibah: 'We support Libya army unification, holding elections'

The Prime Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government Abdul Hamid Dbeibah affirmed his support for the efforts to unify the divided army and the political process on Monday, ultimately leading to holding elections that would resolve the political crisis in the country.

This came during his meeting with members of the Joint Military Commission 5+5, representing the western region, according to a statement from Dbeibah’s government.

The Joint Military Commission comprises five members from the military establishment in the western part of the country and five from the forces of Khalifa Haftar in the east. Under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) Support Mission in Libya, they have been engaged in dialogue for the past two years to unify the military establishment by the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva in October 2020.

According to the statement: “The committee members briefed the prime minister on the outcomes of their meeting last week (Wednesday) with the security working group emanating from the Berlin Conference, which took place in the capital, Tripoli.”

The security working group includes the UN, France, Britain, Turkiye, Italy and the African Union.

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According to the same source, Dbeibah affirmed his support for the efforts of the 5+5 Committee: “On the issue of unifying the Libyan military establishment and achieving security and stability.”

The Libyan government also quoted the prime minister emphasising his support for: “The political process leading to the electoral milestone.”

In addition to the military dialogue, the UN mission also facilitated a political exchange to hold elections in 2023 to resolve a political crisis that revolves around a conflict between a government appointed by the House of Representatives (east) at the beginning of last year and the Dbeibah government, which refuses to hand over power other than to a government appointed by a newly elected parliament.