Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
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Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)

Turkish intelligence has informed Libya’s new Government of National Unity (GNU) that Ankara will continue to offer training and expertise in line with the agreements struck with its predecessor, the Government of National Accord (GNA), reported local media.

GNA sources, however, informed Ankara that the government will no longer resort to Syrian mercenaries.

The ones already present in Libya will be deported to Turkey, said a government source.

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and new head of the Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi are set to soon visit Turkey to review agreements signed between Tripoli and Ankara, as well as the fate of mercenaries aligned with the GNA.

Dbeibeh and Menfi had both received on Saturday telephone calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said that the sovereignty, independence and unity of “sisterly Libya” were fundamental for Turkey. He vowed that Ankara will continue to provide all forms of necessary support to Libya, stressing the need to bolster and expand cooperation.

Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio paid a visit to Tripoli on Sunday, the first by a European official since the formation of the GNU.

During his surprise visit, he held talks with Dbeibeh, Menfi and his counterpart Najla el-Mangoush.

He underlined Rome’s support for Libya in all fields and its efforts to unify its sovereign state institutions.

Menfi’s office revealed that Italy has started to increase its diplomatic representation in Libya.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.