Some 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters on the side of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar are to leave the war-wracked country, military sources said Thursday. A "first group of 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters" are to be repatriated "at the request of France", representatives of the east-based Haftar's forces said in a statement. The UN estimates that 20,000 mercenaries and foreign fighters are deployed in Libya, including from the Russian private security firm Wagner as well as from Chad, Sudan and Syria. An October 2020 ceasefire between eastern and western forces led to a fragile unity government taking office in March. On Monday, Libya opened registration for candidates, with a presidential vote to take place in December and legislative polls in January.

Source: Libya Today November 11, 2021 21:33 UTC