UNSMIL to resume intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission talks

United Nations Security Council votes on a draft resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) at the UN headquarters in New York. (Photo: IANS)


The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced the resumption of the intra-Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks in Geneva.

The latest decision was supported by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 2510. “We applaud the sense of responsibility and the serious and constructive spirit of the participants,” the UNSMIL said in a tweet on Monday.

“We hope that this spirit is carried into the fully inclusive Libyan Political Forum scheduled to start on February 26 and urge all parties to seize the opportunity to respond positively,” it said.

According to the UNSMIL, the Commission constitutes one of the three intra-Libyan tracks the mission is organising, along with the economic and political tracks, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first round of the intra-Libyan JMC talks started on February 3 and concluded on February 8 in Geneva.

The east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city from the UN-backed government.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 1,50,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals agreed to a ceasefire on January 12, but both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.