U.N. Chief Demands Foreign Fighters to Leave Libya

The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on thousands of foreign fighters and mercenaries to immediately leave Libya, saying: “leave the Libyans alone.”

“The ceasefire is holding,” Guterres told reporters.

"It’s essential that all foreign troops and all foreign mercenaries move first to Benghazi and to Tripoli and, from there, move back and leave the Libyans alone, because the Libyans have already proven that, left alone, they are able to address their problems,” he said.

Libya initially descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The 15-member Security Council discussed the situation on Thursday and in a statement and called for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries “without further delay”, and for all Libyan and international actors to respect the arms embargo and ceasefire agreement.

Libya has been pided since 2014 between the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital Tripoli, in the country’s west, and Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).