Libyan National Army Calls for Disbanding Militias before Political Process

The head of the GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, meets with members of the Presidential Council in Tripoli. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Council
The head of the GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, meets with members of the Presidential Council in Tripoli. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Council
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Libyan National Army Calls for Disbanding Militias before Political Process

The head of the GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, meets with members of the Presidential Council in Tripoli. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Council
The head of the GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, meets with members of the Presidential Council in Tripoli. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Council

The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has reiterated its conditions for a political settlement with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA), including disbanding militias.

During a meeting, GNA’s Presidential Council asserted the necessity of resuming the political, security and economic process in line with the Berlin Conference outcomes.

The conferees assessed the world’s stance from the Libyan crisis, and discussed measures to enhance the performance of public services and the efforts exerted to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Director of LNA’s Moral Guidance Department Brigadier General Khaled al-Mahjoub stated that militias must be disbanded and mercenaries must be expelled.

Mahjoub ruled out any political solution before the eradication of terrorism.

His comments came as US Ambassador to Libya Richard B. Norland headed on Thursday to the Turkish capital, Ankara, for talks on the Libyan crisis.

“I’m continuing my travels in Ankara for consultations with Turkey on how best to support de-escalation and the Libyan Political Dialogue in a constructive way, that returns full sovereignty to Libya,” the diplomat said on Twitter.

Further, senior officers of GNA’s Libyan Defense Ministry participated on Thursday in the first meeting convened by the US military commandment in Africa (AFRICOM) to discuss an initiative on mine clearing.

In a related context, GNA’s Interior Ministry revealed that three Libyan men have been arrested on suspicion of attacking and killing a Nigerian migrant worker.

Witnesses said that the suspects forced their way into the factory where the victim was working and set him on fire. The UN has described the man’s death as “another senseless crime” in Libya.

“Those responsible must be held to account,” tweeted Federico Soda, the head of the UN’s International Organization of Migration (IOM) mission in Libya.



African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has proposed a roadmap to resolve the war in Sudan.

A delegation from the council is visiting the interim Sudanese capital, Port Sudan, for the first time since the eruption of the war in the country in April 2023.

The delegation informed Sudanese officials that the African Union is seeking a ceasefire in line with a roadmap proposed by its Peace and Security Council. The details of the roadmap were not disclosed.

Sudanese officials, for their part, briefed the delegation on the conflict.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello told Asharq Al-Awsat that contacts are ongoing with the African Union over a mechanism to monitor the implementation of current and future agreements.

It is best to remain prepared, he added. The international community must assess the options to support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities.

Moreover, he noted that elements that support the ousted regime of President Omar al-Bashir are within the army and opposed to the democratic civilian rule in the country.

He accused them of seeking to prolong the war and returning to rule against the will of the people.

The envoy also said the conflict cannot be resolved through a military solution.

Over the months, the army has wasted opportunities to end the war through negotiations that could restore peace and civilian rule, he noted.

The latest escalation between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will cost countless lives among civilians, warned Perriello.