Hundreds of mercenaries leave Libya: French Foreign Ministry
The French Foreign Ministry announced that 300 foreign mercenaries have left, praising the start of a phased withdrawal of thousands of foreign forces that fought during the recent conflict period.
“This first withdrawal, which is the first positive sign, occurred after the November 12 conference,” said Anne-Claire Legendre, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, referring to the Paris conference.
The ceasefire agreement reached in 2020 in Geneva called for all foreign forces and mercenaries to leave by January 2021, and the same call was repeated at the Paris conference.
Reports in Libya revealed an escalation of tension between the militias and their leaders, especially in the capital, Tripoli, due to the living conditions they suffer from, especially the Syrian mercenaries in the ranks of these organizations.
The reports confirmed that the conflict intensified between the mercenaries and their leaders in Libya after the payment of their salaries was delayed for 7 months, unlike the previous movements in the Libyan West by the militias that began to mobilize a number of their members.
The crisis of militias and mercenaries in Libya is one of the most prominent challenges facing the Libyans towards stability and an end to the fighting.
The former Libyan diplomat, Salem Al-Werfalli, stressed that this chronic crisis is aware of the international community’s seriousness shortly.
He explained that mercenaries and armed militias in the capital and the Libyan west are the main spearheads in a state of chaos and dispersal, and prevent any step towards stability or the existence of legitimate entities.
He continued, “It is like the kidnapping of an entire country within the quiver of these organizations, which include many Syrian, Chadian, and other nationalities, unfortunately.”
Over the past weeks, the Libyan arena has witnessed a state of uncertainty and tension before the postponed presidential elections, as threatening messages were broadcast and official facilities were besieged.