Bathily concludes first official visit to Libya’s southern neighbours

Apr 5, 2023 | International actors

On 5 April, UN Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily concluded his first official visit to Libya’s southern neighbours, Sudan, Niger and Chad, during which he discussed cooperation on border security and the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya. He said the visit was successful in recognizing the challenges ahead and called on the international community to support a coordinated process, including through the allocation of financial resources and technical assistance. He stated that a coordinated and synchronised withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, along with enhanced border security, would contribute to the peace and stability of Libya and the region, adding that it would also ‘reduce the alarming rates of human trafficking, arms and drugs smuggling, illegal mining, and will help limit the movement of extremists’.