The President of the Republic, Head of State, HE Mohamed Bazoum, received on Monday, April 3, 2023, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Libya, Mr. Abdoulaye Bathily, on a working visit to neighboring countries of this country, notably Niger, Sudan and Chad.
“The Security Council has mandated us to take initiatives relating to peace and stability in Libya,” he said on leaving the hearing.
“We are engaged with the Libyan actors in a process which we hope will lead to the elections necessary for the stabilization and unification of the country”, he indicated, stressing that the Libyan crisis has consequences very serious for all the neighboring countries and in particular those to the south of its borders.
“The Security Council has also mandated us to take all initiatives leading to the withdrawal of foreign forces in Libya (mercenaries, armed groups and foreign fighters)”, he added, specifying that it is within this framework that he stays in Niger, following the stages of Sudan and Chad.
Liaison committees between Libya, Sudan, Chad and Niger have been set up and are functioning, he said. Meetings with the authorities of these countries aim to support the process of stabilizing security institutions, so that these mercenaries and foreign fighters, when leaving Libya, are disarmed and participate in the stabilization of borders, said Mr. Bathily.
“It is therefore a work of close collaboration between all these neighboring countries and I am happy that Niger continues to make efforts with all the neighboring countries. And the President of the Republic assured us of Niger’s collaboration in this regard,” he said.
This area of the borders between the four countries is infested with all kinds of traffickers (trafficking in arms, drugs, illegal gold panning, illegal migration, human trafficking). It is an area of lawlessness, dangerous for the stability, economic development, peace and security of these countries, he recalled.
