The United States on Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian and Turkish forces from Libya, after a deadline for their departure had been ignored.
This call marked a firmer expression of US policy towards oil-rich Libya under President Joe Biden’s new administration.
“We call on all external parties, including Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, to respect Libya’s sovereignty and immediately cease all military interventions in Libya,” said acting US Ambassador Richard Mills during a meeting of the UN Security Council in Libya, which has seen a decade of struggle since the overthrow of Moamer Gaddafi.
Under a UN-backed ceasefire signed on October 23, foreign troops and mercenaries were due to leave Libya in three months. That deadline ended on Saturday with no movement announced or observed on the ground.
“Under the October ceasefire agreement, we call on Turkey and Russia to immediately start withdrawing their forces from the country and removing the foreign mercenaries and military representatives they have recruited, financed, deployed and supported in Libya,” said Mills .
The UN estimates that there are about 20,000 foreign soldiers and mercenaries in Libya helping the warring factions: the renowned National Settlement Government in Tripoli and military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
According to the UN, Haftar has the support of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, mainly mercenaries from a private group linked to Vladimir Putin. The GNA is supported by Turkey and Syrian rebels transferred to Libya.
Libyan mercenaries include several thousand each from Syria and Sudan and one thousand from Chad, said a diplomat on condition of anonymity.
Mills’ statement signaled a clearer tone in US politics under Biden. While in power, his predecessor Donald Trump at one point seemed to support Haftar, although official US policy at the end of his government was that all foreign fighters should start in line with the UN-backed agreement.
– Russian denial –
Russia denies having any military personnel in Libya.
“We have no military or military personnel on Libyan soil. Therefore, there is no Russian military intervention in Libya,” a spokesman for the country’s mission told AFP.
“If there are Russian citizens as mercenaries, which we cannot entirely exclude, those who hired them must be called upon to withdraw them.”
At Thursday’s council meeting, most members also called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya and respect for the arms embargo in force since 2011.
Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, in his comments to the council, made no mention of the presence of foreign fighters.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for the fighters to leave.
“It is essential that all foreign troops and foreign mercenaries go to Benghazi and Tripoli , ” he said.
In a statement unanimously adopted on Thursday by the 15 members of the Security Council – including Russia – the panel “called for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya without further delay”.
The UN says that the arms embargo is being violated with the arrival of cargo planes with weapons on both sides in conflict.
“This glaring foreign interference continues,” said UN acting envoy Stephanie Williams, noting that a ceasefire was still in place.
UN-sponsored negotiations between the two sides in Libya are expected to resume in the near future in Geneva. Libya is expected to hold elections in December.
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Originally published