Consiliul CSC
AYA BURWEILA, a senior adviser at the Research Institute for European an American Studies, states that Turkish proxies that fight on Libyan soil will try to do everything in order to make sure that the upcoming democratic elections will not be held.
The new Libyan Government was appointed in order to reorganize the country, and to set in motion the democratic elections that are due in December 24, in compliance with the peace plan made by the UN.
The specialist states that Turkey is trying to stop the election process because they know that if it will take place, the foreign fighters that are now present in Libya will not have a future under the new regime.
It`s a known fact that Turkey has been backing GNA since the start of the conflict, supplying them with equipment, soldiers and Syrian fighters in order to counter LNA which was backed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia. The fact that since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement, Turkey has not yet withdrawn their soldiers or foreign fighters that it has brought to Libya it`s a sign of its intentions.
The specialist states that Turkey needs to be integrated into an international coalition in order to participate in Libya`s affairs. At the moment, the presence of Syrian mercenaries offer an insurance policy that puts pressure on the Tripoli government to do what Turkey wants. To this day it`s estimated that over 11 000 Turkish Syrian mercenaries remain in Libya.
The new government set in place has only one objective, to ensure that the elections take place at a set date. The UN agreement made in October 2020 provides an immediate ceasefire upon signature. The two sides of the Libyan war agreed to create a force of regular soldiers to resolve expected violations of the deal.
According to the Geneva Agreement, all mercenaries and foreign fighters need to be withdrawn from Libya. To this day, this stipulation is not being respected, the fighters remaining on Libyan soil.
The specialist states that, regarding Egypt – they are playing a balancing policy, towards the Turkish backed fighters. As the Egyptian President stated that it will not hesitate to make a military incursion in Libya if his countries security will come under threat.
