Libya’s Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha held talks via video conference on Sunday with the acting head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Stephanie Williams, to discuss Libyan plans to reform the security sector.
"We are determined to move forward in implementing the reform programs in the security sector, which must be locally-designed and nationwide under the Libyan leadership for the security and welfare of the citizens," Bashagha said on Twitter.
UAE's top diplomat calls for urgent cease-fire in Libya
Foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has supported Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, on Tuesday called for an “immediate cease-fire and for wisdom to prevail” in Libya.
"The drums of the war raging around Sirte in Libya threaten serious developments and dangerous humanitarian and political consequences,” Anwar Gargash said in a statement on Twitter.
Gargash also urged parties to the conflict in Libya to enter dialogue within clear international frameworks.
The statement came after Tobruk parliament, affiliated with Haftar, gave Egypt green light to militarily intervene in Libya under the pretext of "protecting the national security" of both countries.
The Tobruk parliament said in a statement late Monday that "the Egyptian armed forces have the right to intervene to safeguard Libyan and Egyptian national security if it [Egypt] foresees an imminent danger that would threaten the security of our countries."
Abdul-Malik al-Madani, spokesman for the Libyan Army, blasted the idea of Egyptian intervention in Libya on behalf of the UN-recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
"Let's remind them [Egypt] that Sinai [northeastern Egypt] is closer than Sirte and Jufra [areas of Libya held by Haftar], and that the Renaissance Dam is not in Libya but in Ethiopia," al-Madani wrote late Monday on Twitter.
Last month Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi threatened military intervention over Sirte and Jufra.
Al-Madani added: “We’re waiting on them, and before entering [Libya] they have to think about how they will get out.”
The Tobruk parliament headed by Aguila Saleh that supports Haftar has fewer than 30 lawmakers, while the parliament based in the capital Tripoli has more than 70.
Since April 2019, Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children.
However, the Libyan government has recently achieved significant victories, pushing Haftar's forces out of Tripoli and the strategic city of Tarhuna.
Haftar has been supported internationally by Russia, France, Egypt, and the UAE.
The UAE has been accused by the UN and several human rights groups of breaking a UN arms embargo on Libya by sending weapons and mercenaries to fight for Haftar’s militia in Libya.
A UN report in October revealed that thousands of Sudanese fighters were fighting alongside Haftar’s forces in Libya.
Other media reports, including a recent report by the Guardian, also accused the UAE of transporting hundreds of mercenaries to fight in Libya and Yemen.
Libya army spots arrival of Egyptian weapons for Haftar
The Libyan army said Wednesday it has spotted the dispatch of military supplies from Egypt to the city of Tobruk in northeastern Libya.
The new development came shortly after warlord Khalifa Haftar said his forces were preparing for a “major battle” near the cities of Sirte and al-Jufra.
Images published by the government-led Operation Volcano of Rage showed people in military uniform standing beside vehicles carrying weapons and military equipment.
The Libyan army, however, did not give further details.
On April 8, the Libyan army released photos of an Egyptian vessel arriving at the Tobruk harbor carrying 40 containers of ammunition for Haftar.
Also, last year on June 6, the Libyan army released photos of military supplies and ammunition arriving by land from Egypt to support Haftar's militia.
In June, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi suggested that Cairo could launch "external military missions" into Libya "if required," saying that "any direct intervention in Libya has already become legitimate internationally."
Al-Sisi said the city of Sirte and al-Jufra airbase are a "red line," calling on his army to "be prepared to carry out any mission here within our borders, or if necessary outside our borders."
Since April 2019, Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children.
However, the Libyan government has recently achieved significant victories, pushing Haftar's forces out of Tripoli and the strategic city of Tarhuna.