The military leaders of western and eastern Libya are looking to unify the military

Senior military leaders from western and eastern Libya held a rare meeting in Tripoli on Monday and Tuesday to discuss naming a chief of staff to coordinate the country’s military establishment. Divisions.

Army chiefs said in a joint statement that they “discussed the need to name a Chief of Staff for the Army Enterprise and in particular take steps to consolidate the Army Enterprise.”

The talks were held between a team led by Lt. Gen. Abdel Razzaq al-Nadori, Chief of Staff of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in the eastern part of the country, and a team led by Lt. Gen. Muhammad al-Hadad. Military forces in the west of the country.

Al-Nadori’s rare visit to Tripoli came in response to an invitation sent to him by al-Hadad.

Al-Naduri is Field Marshal Haftar’s right-hand man and one of the most important military leaders close to him.

The joint statement praised the efforts of the so-called “5 + 5” joint military group (consisting of five officers from each side), and emphasized the need for mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces to leave the country.

According to the statement, it also approved the implementation of the joint force agreed to in the ceasefire agreement in force between the two sides.

The two parties agreed to develop a plan to launch border surveillance operations to protect Libyan borders, prevent illegal immigration, and fight organized crime and terrorism.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya praised the meeting and described what took place during it as an “important dialogue”.

The UN mission confirmed their continued support for Security Pathway talks, particularly through the Joint Military Group (5+5).

The joint committee is responsible for overseeing a permanent ceasefire reached by both sides in October 2020.

The agreement ended a large-scale military offensive launched by Field Marshal Haftar’s forces to control the capital Tripoli and lasted more than a year (April 2019 to June 2020).

The split in Libya has worsened with the presence of two competing governments, the first in Tripoli, which emerged from a political accord a year and a half ago, led by Abdel Hamid Tabaiba, who refuses to hand over power except to an elected government, and the second, led by Fathi Pashqa, appointed by parliament last February and given its confidence in March. Based in Sirte (centre). Despite attempts to enter Tripoli, the temporary headquarters were blocked.