For quite long, Libya has been craving to end political conflicts rallied by the Haftar forces. At least there is a spark of light as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) welcome resumption of ceasefire discussion. Egypt, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates back the Haftar forces while Turkey, Italy and Qatar support the Government of National Accord.
With the lead of Commander Khalifa Haftar, the eastern-based renegade army has been waging an offensive to take power over Tripoli since April 2019. Libya hopes that the talks change the course of the Libya war as many suffer from these fights. Sure, Libya’s government can no more stand the killings and riots.
Hope for a political settlement
Even though Haftar turned down these talks before, Libya hopes the negotiations will go as planned. Haftar’s military crusade against forces allied with the Government of National Accord (GNA) to upend the UN efforts for a political resolution in Tripoli.
Besides, Turkish support allowed the GNA to take control of several towns. More so in the northwest and the airbase near Tunisia border. The Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministries released a joint statement for the talks. Sure, this calls for all parties to commit to the political settlement process fully.
According to reports, these talks are under the influence of the Berlin and UN conferences. As of January, the Berlin conference resulted in promising efforts to reach a ceasefire. However, that initiative delayed since the parties announced to resume talks this week.
Russia impact on Libya conflict and Ceasefire discussions
Journalists, diplomats and photographs widely document the presence of the Russian army. Besides, this is to show the Russians in Bani Walid on Social media. As of Wednesday, Russia RIA news agency reports that several Libya officials arrived in Moscow ahead of the peace talks. Moreover, the deputy Minister Ahmed Maetig accompanied the officials. Sure, this shows how Russia is a crucial factor in the Libyan negotiations.
However, leaked UN reports say that the Russian military Wagner group set up about 1200 private army to back up Haftar forces. Moreover, they recognized this by their tackle, usually reserved for Russia’s armed forces. UN observers discovered that the Wagner group owns more than 24 flights between eastern Libya and Russia from August 2018 to August 2019.
Meanwhile, the Russian paramilitary organization links to President Vladimir Putin. According to UN reports, the Wagner group largely dominates Russians. However, it consists of Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Serbia citizens.
Conclusion
For a long time, Africa countries have been in a fight against these terror groups. Let hope Libya pulls this deal through. Besides, African nations should unite and come up with a strategy to defeat these groups.
Sure, it is awakening time for African states as the future generation depends on today’s actions. Although it is a long way, we should at least give it a shot. Remember, it all starts with you by mobilizing the news and actions. Together, we can make Africa a better place.
More:
