On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council held the first closed-door meeting devoted to the danger of mercenaries spreading in Libya to the countries of the region, at a request submitted by Kenya, Niger and Tunisia days after the killing of Chadian President Idriss Debi.
Diplomatic sources revealed to “AFP” that the meeting witnessed intense discussions between representatives of the United States and Russia about the “Wagner” group, which was involved in the recent attack by the Chadian rebels.
The sources said that the meeting did not address the beginning of the withdrawal of these militants, whose deployment represents a new threat to the region’s armies, most of which suffer from a shortage of equipment and training.
Two diplomatic sources confirmed to the agency that the 15 member states of the Security Council directly linked the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya and what happened in Chad.
The sources added that the number of foreign mercenaries in Libya is estimated at more than twenty thousand, including 13 thousand Syrians and 11 thousand Sudanese.
The sources pointed out that Kenya called for expanding the mandate of the United Nations political mission in Libya to include monitoring the country’s southern borders, but it is an idea that is difficult to achieve and will lead to a change in the dimensions of the mission, according to the agency.
The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper last Friday that the “Wagner” mercenaries participated in the attack launched by the Chadian Front for Change and Accord rebels in the north of the country, which resulted in the death of Chadian President Idriss Debi.
