The United Nations is preparing to deploy up to 250 peacekeepers to Libya to guard its base in the capital as part of a plan to return its operations to the country, the head of the organization’s mission there said on Friday.
ROME (Reuters) – The United Nations is preparing to deploy up to 250 peacekeepers to Libya to guard its base in the capital as part of a plan to return its operations to the country, the head of the organization&rsquo-s mission there said on Friday.
Backed by Western governments, the U.N. is trying to heal a rift between Libya&rsquo-s two rival governments, to tackle growing militant violence and people smuggling from its northern coast.
Envoy Ghassan Salame told Italian newspaper La Stampa that &ldquo-a little under 250&rdquo- peacekeepers &ldquo-can be deployed in the coming weeks&rdquo-.
The mission has been based in Tunis since 2014 but has gradually increased its presence on the ground in Libya and has been planning for months for a fuller return.
The military unit would probably consist of around 150 people, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told a news briefing in Geneva.
Deploying the peacekeepers to the base in Tripoli &ldquo-will mean that around the beginning of October we can carry out a significant part of our work in Libya,&rdquo- said Salame, who has headed the mission since June.
The rival leaders have pledged to work toward elections in 2018 and a conditional ceasefire in a conflict which broke out after the 2011 ousting of strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
Salame said there were many issues to address to ensure a vote brought lasting change, including writing constitutional and electoral laws.
&ldquo-We need to be sure everyone accepts the final result,&rdquo- he said. &ldquo-Let&rsquo-s not forget that presidential elections would be the first ever.&rdquo-
0 comments
Share
