Ghadames 5+5 JMC Agrees to Ceasefire Steps

As part of the fifth round of talks between military parties in the ongoing conflict in Libya, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) concluded a two-day set of meetings in Ghadames (November 2-4), including the participation of Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (ASRSG) Stephanie Williams of UNSMIL.

Being the first meeting inside Libya itself, the JMC 5+5 talks concluded with a series of recommendations and steps regarding future arrangements, including the expedition of a UN Security Council-led resolution to implement terms for the ceasefire agreement, which was previously signed in Geneva on October 23^rd.

The terms of the Ghadames Agreement are as follows:

A newly instituted military sub-committee will oversee the return of local troops and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the frontlines, with the committee holding its first meeting in Sirte in the presence of UNSMIL and 5+5 committee officials in the near future.
The 5+5 JMC agreed to meet again in Sirte later in November.
The JMC agreed on monitoring measures, including the observance of international parties to the conflict.
Security arrangements in the designated area of meeting will be determined by the Joint Security Committee.
The headquarters of the JMC will be established in the Ouagadougou hall complex in Sirte.
The headquarters of the subcommittee for security arrangements will be established in the cities of Houn and Sirte.
The first meeting to unify the Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) will take place on November 16^th in Brega with PFG commanders, the National Oil Corporation (NOC), and UNSMIL, subsequently submitting the deliberations to the JMC.
The Detainee Exchange subcommittee will continue its work until completion.
De-mining engineering teams will be assembled in cooperation with the UN and the General Intelligence Service.
Regular flights to Sebha and Ghadames will resume with rapid rehabilitation of their respective airports.
A new committee will be formed for monitoring and combatting hate speech, which will be in coordination with civilian specialists and UNSMIL.
Finally, the JMC calls upon the UN Security Council to expedite the adoption of a binding resolution to implement the ceasefire terms signed under the Geneva Agreement from October 23^rd.

Prior to the 5+5 JMC talks in Ghadames, the JMC talks in Geneva in October constituted the fourth round of discussions towards reaching a permanent ceasefire in Libya. Subsequent results from the Geneva Agreement led to the opening of air and land routes across the country, in addition to both parties agreeing on “the need to end the use of inflammatory and escalatory media rhetoric.” Detainee exchanges, resumption of oil production, and the consolidation of the PFC were agreed to as well.

In the wake of both the Geneva and Ghadames agreements, the United States has reaffirmed its support of Libya’s attempts towards a lasting ceasefire.

To view the unofficial translation of the Geneva Agreement, click here.

Sources: Libya Herald, UNSMIL, and U.S. Embassy in Libya