Forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said Thursday 300 foreign mercenaries fighting on their side would leave the country, at the request of France, which will host a conference on Libya. 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. A “first group of 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters” are to be repatriated “at the request of France”, representatives of Haftar’s east-based forces said in a statement. ‘Unilateral’ gestureA UN report released in October revealed that all sides in Libya, “including third states, foreign fighters and mercenaries, have violated international humanitarian law… and some have also committed war crimes”. Macron also wants the conference to endorse a plan for the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries, the French presidential official added.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 12, 2021 06:39 UTC