Libya's 5+5 Commission Meeting Kicks Off in Cairo

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Jan Kubis (UNSMIL)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Jan Kubis (UNSMIL)
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Libya's 5+5 Commission Meeting Kicks Off in Cairo

Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Jan Kubis (UNSMIL)
Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya Jan Kubis (UNSMIL)

Libya's 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) launched on Saturday a new round of UN-sponsored talks in Egypt's capital Cairo to discuss plans for the pullout of foreign forces from the countries neighboring Libya, Sudan, Niger, and Chad.

During the opening session, head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Jan Kubis, expressed his appreciation for the willingness of the representatives of Chad, Niger, and Sudan to work with the 5+5 JMC on the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya, in a way that does not affect the stability in their countries and the region.

Kubis pointed out that the UN mission will continue to help Libya restore its stability, unity, and full sovereignty.

He lauded the "tireless efforts" of the JMC to implement the ceasefire agreement, starting with maintaining its continuity, opening the airspace, exchanging detainees, making a joint effort to secure the artificial river, and opening the coastal road.

Kubis said that the comprehensive Action Plan, signed by the JMC during its recent meeting in Geneva, will serve as the cornerstone for the gradual, balanced, and sequenced withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces from Libyan territory.

The official stressed that the action plan is a Libyan plan approved by the JMC and enjoys the support of the Libyan authorities, adding that it is also a plan-led and nationally owned, carrying tangible ideas and determinants of implementation.

He added that the plan is essential for a long path towards peace, stability, security and cooperation, and sustainable development in Libya and the region.

Kubis explained that the meeting, and all subsequent meetings, are only the first steps in preparing a concrete implementation plan for the withdrawal of all mercenaries, foreign fighters, and forces from Libya, which is also crucial in light of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

"I would like to express my hope that your meeting in Cairo will result in a mutual understanding of major building blocks and coordination mechanisms necessary for the withdrawal and will enable agreeing on the first steps of the withdrawal process that will take fully into account the needs and concerns of Libya and its neighbors," said Kubis.

"I count on your full cooperation as well as the support of the African Union in this noble and critically important endeavor."

Meanwhile, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Manqoush warned of the "real threat" of a civil war erupting after the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking to BBC, Maqoush hoped "free and fair" elections would be held despite the security issues, which she trusted won't affect the electoral process.

The war will bring the country back to square one, which means the presence of weapons and foreign influence affecting the elections, said the minister, noting that "there is always hope."

She urged all parties to participate in the democratic process, expecting Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), to accept the elections' results.

Haftar is in the country's east and temporarily retired from his position in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections.



Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
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Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on Tuesday hailed Pope Francis's support for Gazans and engagement with the small Catholic community in the war-battered Palestinian territory.

The Catholic church's highest authority in the region, who is considered a potential successor to the late pontiff, Pizzaballa told journalists in Jerusalem that "Gaza represents, a little bit, all what was the heart of his pontificate".

Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, advocated peace and "closeness to the poor... and to the neglected one", said the patriarch.

These positions became particularly evident in Francis's response to the Israel-Hamas war which broke out in October 2023, Pizzaballa said.

"He was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, he kept calling them many times -- for a certain period, also every day, every evening at 7 pm," said the patriarch.

He added that by doing so, the pope "became for the community something stable, and also comforting for them, and he knew this".

Out of the Gaza Strip's 2.4 million people, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.

Since the early days of the war, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.

Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. The day before his death, in a final Easter message delivered on Sunday, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the besieged territory.

"Work for justice... but without becoming part of the conflict," said Pizzaballa of the late pontiff's actions.

"For us, for the Church, it leaves an important legacy."

The patriarch thanked the numerous Palestinian and Israeli public figures who have offered their condolences, preferring not to comment on the lack of any official message from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Even as "the local authorities... were not always happy" with the pope's positions or statements, they were "always very respectful", he said.

Pizzaballa said he will travel to Rome on Wednesday, after leading a requiem mass for the pope at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the morning.

As one of the 135 cardinal electors, the Latin patriarch will participate in the conclave to elect a new pope.

Pizzaballa, a 60-year-old Italian Franciscan who also speaks English and Hebrew, arrived in Jerusalem in 1990 and was made a cardinal in September 2023, just before the Gaza war began.

His visits to Gaza and appeals for peace since then have attracted international attention.