End of 7th round of UN-sponsored Libyan peace talks
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) will wrap up its 7th Round of 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks today.
The 5+5 Joint Military Commission has been convening regularly since February 3, 2020 to negotiate military issues concerning the Libyan civil war. In previous rounds of talks, the Commission agreed on the terms for ceasefire implementation. Over the past week, they have discussed the process of clearing mines and remnants of war and deploying UN monitors to verify and supervise the ceasefire. They also focused on opening a coastal road to enable travel and trade.
The previously negotiated ceasefire is not only broad but also assumes that the Libyan government has leverage with foreign troops. In order for the ceasefire to be successful, the Commission needs to prevent international actors, like Russia and Turkey, from supporting rival Libyan forces. However, today’s talks only focus on low-priority issues like removing landmines. If the Commission is unable to address these issues in the short-term, Libyan peace will be left in the hands of foreign actors like Russia and Turkey, who will pursue their own strategic goals over implementing the ceasefire.
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