On 25 August, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) held a meeting at its HQ in the Ouagadougou complex in Sirte, which was also attended by Acting UN Special Envoy Stephanie Koury, at which it underlined the mutual commitment to respect the ceasefire. They stressed that the agreement is solid and – contrary to other rumours – compliance is being monitored. However, they noted that there is neither a mandate to reunite the armed forces, nor the authority or resources to expel mercenaries and foreign troops from Libya, saying all of this is a task for the state’s executive body. The 5+5 JMC reiterated that Sirte will remain the exclusive and permanent venue for its meetings until its tasks are completed. Koury described the meeting as positive and reiterated the international community’s support for the work of the 5+5 JMC.
