Libya's Presidential Council has created a National Reconciliation Commission with the goal to establish social peace, as the country is trying to heal the wounds of the yearslong war between the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s forces.
The head of the Presidential Council, Mohammad Younes Menfi, said the commission would establish justice among Libyans and create solidarity in the country. He was speaking during a news conference in the capital Tripoli that was also attended by the council's vice presidents, Musa al-Koni and Abdullah al-Lafi.
Menfi did not provide further details on the structure or the activities of the commission.
On April 1, Menfi met with Libyan experts to discuss the establishment of a National Reconciliation Commission.
The current Libyan House of Representatives is divided between lawmakers in Tripoli headed by Mohammad Siala and lawmakers in Tobruk headed by Aguila Saleh. There are currently no accurate figures on the number of members in each group due to individual resignations and deaths.
The warring sides reached a cease-fire deal in October that virtually ended the war and paved the way for U.N.-led political talks. Those talks then led to the appointment of an interim government in February, ahead of elections later this year.
Libyans hope it will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Foreign mercenaries and arms have poured into the country since Haftar launched his offensive, with Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) serving as the putschist general's top suppliers.
The Russian Wagner Group, which is owned by businessperson Yevgeny Prigozhin, a figure close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is known as one of the main groups that sent mercenaries to fight in Libya.
Most of the foreign forces are concentrated around Sirte at Jufra air base held by Haftar's forces 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Tripoli and further west in al-Watiya.
In June, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) revealed that 2,000 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group had been operating alongside Haftar forces.
A U.N. report on Sudan released in January 2020 also said many Arabs from the war-weary region of Darfur were fighting as "individual mercenaries" alongside warring Libyan parties.
