US changes tone on Libya conflict
Military vehicles of the Misrata forces, under the protection of the Tripoli forces, are seen in the Tajura neighborhood, east of Tripoli, Libya on April 6, 2019. REUTERS / Hani Amara
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2 min
Washington asked the UN Thursday, January 28, the “immediate withdrawal” of Russian and Turkish forces from the country.
This concerns both the military and the mercenaries.
A firm statement from the new Biden administration that contrasts with that of his predecessor Donald Trump.
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With our correspondent in San Francisco,
Eric de Salve
This very strong statement against the Russian and Turkish military presence in Libya came from Richard Mills, the acting United States ambassador to the UN during a Security Council video conference: “
We ask Turkey and Russia to immediately begin the withdrawal of their forces from Libya but also,
specifies the American ambassador,
foreign mercenaries and military substitutes, whom they recruited, financed, deployed and supported in Libya.
"
Barely two weeks after his inauguration, Joe Biden therefore clearly changes his tone on the Libyan crisis.
Gone are the days when Donald Trump exchanged by phone with General Haftar to salute their shared vision on Libya, in the midst of a deadly offensive on its capital Tripoli.
Washington hardens its tone and demands the application of the ceasefire agreement of October 23 which gave three months to foreign mercenaries to leave Libya.
According to the UN, these mercenaries are 20,000 in total in the two camps.
Khalifa Haftar, the man from the east, is supported by Russians from
the private company Wagner
, near the Kremlin.
It also receives material support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Opposite, the government of Tripoli is supported militarily by armed drones and Syrian rebels channeled through Turkey.
If the ceasefire seems to hold according to the UN, arms deliveries are currently continuing in both camps, despite the embargo imposed since the end of the 2011 revolution.
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