French President Emmanuel Macron calls for withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya

Foreign forces, notably Russian and Turkish soldiers, should be' withdrawn' from Libyan land, said French President Emmanuel Macron. He also stated that France is willing to provide political support to Libya. Last week, Macron mentioned that his government will offer millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to African countries in order to help them accelerate their vaccination drives.

Macron calls for a withdrawal of foreign forces 

After a meeting with Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Macron said, "As Libyans themselves demand, we must stop any foreign intervention, and this goes through the withdrawal of all forces of foreign mercenaries from the territory of Libya – Russian, Turkish, their Syrian mercenaries, and others."

He noted, "We are working on this with you and with all our partners. And this pullout [of foreign troops] should go along with the creation of a unified army. It is necessary to guarantee the success of the national elections scheduled for the end of the year."

Libya calls for withdrawal

As the North African country prepares for elections later this year, Libya's top diplomat called for the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries earlier this month. Libya's temporary foreign minister, Najla al-Manqoush, made the appeal during a news conference in Tripoli with her Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. She urged Turkey to carry out UN Security Council resolutions calling for the repatriation of over 20,000 foreign soldiers and mercenaries from Libya.

Libya's oil-rich country was thrown into instability when a NATO-backed rebellion in 2011 overthrew longstanding autocrat Moammar Gadhafi and divided the country between an UN-backed administration in Tripoli and competing authorities based in the country's east side. Local militias, as well as regional and international powers, backed both sides.

Forces loyal to Khalifa Hifter, the military commander in charge of Libya's eastern and southern regions, launched an operation in the country's east. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates joined forces in April 2019 to try to conquer Tripoli. After Turkey increased its military backing for the UN-backed government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, the campaign came to an end.

According to Security Council diplomats, Libya is home to around 20,000 foreign combatants and mercenaries, including 13,000 Syrians, 11,000 Sudanese, Russians, and Chadians. According to a spokesperson, the Security Council's 15 member nations decided in an informal meeting last week that getting the foreign fighters and mercenaries to return home was the only way forward.

(With agency inputs)

Picture Credit: AP/Abdulhamid Dbeibeh/Twitter