TRIPOLI, April 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday revealed that the Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) had agreed to support and secure elections in Libya during a meeting in the eastern city of Benghazi.
“In presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Libya, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) organized a meeting in Benghazi bringing together several military and security leaders from the western, eastern, and southern regions,” UNSMIL said in a statement.
The purpose of the meeting was to enhance confidence among the military and security leaders in support of the political process and to move forward with creating a conducive environment for holding free and fair elections this year and the acceptance of the results by all parties, the statement said.
The attendees reaffirmed their readiness to provide all forms of support to secure all stages of the elections.
They also expressed support for the efforts of the JMC and its Libyan Liaison Committees on the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from the country.
“The meeting initiated practical measures to start addressing the problems of internally displaced persons and missing persons and ensure their safe return through coordination among the concerned security agencies in the various regions of Libya,” the statement added.
The attendees also exchanged information on the detainees held by both sides and considered practical steps to exchange detainees as soon as possible.
Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among the Libyan parties.
Earlier in January, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah said his government is ready to hold general elections in the year 2023.
Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid escalating violence and political division. — NNN-XINHUA
