The United Nations (UN) envoy to Libya on Sunday praised the achievements secured by the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) since the signing of the comprehensive cease-fire agreement in Geneva a year ago. "The cease-fire agreement has paved the road for the Libyan-led and -owned comprehensive political process towards the sustainable stability, unity, prosperity, and full sovereignty of Libya," said Jan Kubis, the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). "In the beginning of this month, the JMC has also reached another important milestone by signing a comprehensive Action Plan for the gradual, balanced, and sequenced withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces from Libya," Kubis said in a statement. The special envoy stressed support of the UN and its international partners for the commission in implementing the cease-fire agreement and the action plan through consultations with internal and external stakeholders. He also stressed the significant role of the commission in confidence-building measures to resume oil exports, exchange detainees, and reopen airspace and the coastal road. A war erupted in April 2019 between the eastern-based army and the former UN-backed government of national accord in and around the capital Tripoli and lasted for more than a year, before the JMC signed a cease-fire agreement in Geneva in October 2020. Last week, the first group of UN officials to support the Libyan cease-fire monitoring mechanism arrived in Libya, UNSMIL said. The UN monitors will be working under the guidance of the JMC to monitor the cease-fire and verify the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces.
