5+5 JMC confirms safety of Sirte to hold HoR government endorsement session – contradicting earlier statement from Tripoli

By Sami Zaptia.

London, 1 March 2021:

The 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) confirmed yesterday, the readiness of the city of Sirte to host a reunified meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).

The JMC’s announcement came in response to the request on Friday by HoR head, Ageela Saleh, that the JMC informs officially of its ability, or the lack of, to secure an HoR session on 8 March.

The 8 March session called for by Saleh is to grant confidence to the Government of National Unity (GNU) headed by prime minister designate, Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba. A vision of this government was presented to the HoR by Aldabaiba on Thursday 25 February.

In its confirmatory statement, the JMC said in its view Sirte is ready and safe to hold the confidence-granting session to the GNU throughout the period from its beginning to its end.

The JMC split?

It must be noted, however, that the head of the Tripoli half of the 5+5 JMC (Ahmed Ali Abu Shahma) had on Saturday announced that the JMC could not secure Sirte for a reunified HoR meeting as it could not implement its plan to expel foreign elements (foreign forces/mercenaries/Wagner) from the Sirte area. He said that it did not have the legal mandate to carry out these actions, and that it did not have the presence of any security force on the ground in Sirte affiliated with the Tripoli half of the JMC.

The former JMC letter purporting to represent all 10 eastern and western members of the JMC had no signatures, so it is to be seen how it plays out and whether the statement is accepted by both sides as genuine.

Remembering Siham Sergewa?

Equally, will western HoR members feel secure enough to travel to Sirte. They frequently cite the disappearance of female HoR member, Siham Sergewa, as an example of the vulnerability of HoR members to pro Hafter forces.

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