On 24 July, Bathily and the the Ambassadors of Italy, Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom met with Haftar in Benghazi to discuss the preparations for the Security Working Group meeting which took place the following day. In his opening speech to the working group on 25 July, United Nations Special Envoy Abdoulaye Bathily said that the 5+5 Joint Military Committee had been able to ‘establish and activate Liaison Committees for the withdrawal of Mercenaries, and Foreign Fighters. These committees have now an established office, their equipment is under procurement, and they have launched work on a database, despite the conflict that erupted in Sudan that has slowed their progress.’ He added that they have identified the structure and needs of a joint force and have submitted the request to their hierarchies. He noted that ‘our collective support might be needed to further implement this article.’
