According to the UN, there are around 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya. „This is a shocking violation of Libyan sovereignty,“ said incumbent UN envoy Stephanie Williams yesterday at a virtual dialogue forum. After years of fighting, the conflicting parties in the civil war country agreed in October under UN mediation on a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign fighters within 90 days.
„There are ten military bases in your country (…) that are either partially or fully controlled by foreign fighters at this moment,“ Williams said at the meeting. It is a blatant violation of the arms embargo. „They’re bringing guns into your country, a country that doesn’t need more guns,“ she said.
Libya has been characterized by violent conflicts and power struggles since the overthrow of long-time ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. The unity government in Tripoli, recognized by the UN, has been at war for years with General Khalifa Haftar, whose troops control large areas in the east and south of Libya and who supports a counter-government based in Tobruk, east Libya.
