Libya: 300 Mercenaries Leave Areas Under Haftar Control
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The 5+5 Joint Military Committee released a statement announcing the withdrawal of a fast batch of 300 mercenaries in Libya from the Haftar-controlled regions.
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Libya's mercenaries are making their way out.
The Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Committee announced in a statement that 300 mercenaries who were fighting on their side are to leave the Haftar-controlled regions at the request of France. According to the statement, this is the "first batch" and there is no specific timeline for their departure.
The committee stated, "Based on the keenness of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee to implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement on October 23, 2020, in Geneva, the General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces decided to remove 300 foreign fighters mercenaries as a first batch."
The statement stressed that "Direct coordination with the United Nations mission will take place during the process of transferring fighters to their countries, taking into account all caveats and security conditions."
According to the United Nations, there are some 20,000 mercenaries and foreign fighters deployed in Libya, some coming from the Russian private company Wagner, others from Chad, Sudan and Syria.
The statement said that the decision was taken by Haftar's Libyan National Army, and will be executed under the auspices of the UN mission in Libya. The withdrawal was described to be a "unilateral" gesture with no expectation from the Libyan government.
The nationalities of the mercenaries were not specified.
Khalifa Haftar's forces extend their control over the southeast, southwest, and the entire east of Libya, in addition to the central region of Jufra and Sirte districts (the Oil Crescent region), which includes the largest oil fields and ports in Libya.
