The Chiefs of Staff of the army in western and eastern Libya, Muhammad al-Haddad and Abd al-Razzaq al-Naduri, are set to meet in Benghazi this evening in what has been deemed an important meeting. It is expected that the meeting will lead to the announcement of the formation of a joint force tasked with securing the upcoming elections and the borders of the country and unifying the military establishment.
The Chief of the General Staff of the army in the western region, Muhammad al-Haddad, will arrive in Benghazi today to join his counterpart in the east, Abdel Razek al-Nazuri, for discussions aimed at unifying the military institution. Military leaders from both sides are expected to attend the meeting.
The upcoming meeting builds on previous encounters between the two parties during which they agreed to unify the military institution without foreign interference, name one chief of staff, develop joint training programs, coordinate actions, and activate the joint force agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement.
The meeting comes about a week after members of the Libyan Joint Military Committee 5+5 and military and security leaders from the east and west of the country announced their collaboration to secure all stages of the upcoming elections and strengthen efforts to remove mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya.
The recent military rapprochement between the military and security leaders in the east and west of Libya is a significant step towards ending years of conflict, fighting, and division that have led to a deteriorating security situation in the country. This critical development has received positive reactions from local and global political forces, including the United Nations.
The international community has focused on unifying military and security action in Libya to create a secure environment for holding elections and to give momentum to the stalled political process since the failure to hold elections at the end of 2021.