A spokesperson of the mission told media the forces that have been spotted in Libya were there for the security of the UN staff, Libya Herald reports. The mission head Ghassan Salamé early this month told German media that the UN building in Tripoli will be refurbished and that it will be guarded by UN security staff. Libyans have been opposed to the presence of foreign forces including UN peacekeepers on the Libyan soil. The UN mission left Tripoli in 2014 and relocated in Tunisia as security was deteriorating due to power rivalries between Libyans factions. Salamé himself made it clear that the UNSMIL mandate was purely for political purpose, and has no peacekeeping agenda.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 21, 2017 16:41 UTC