Security Council backs deployment of 60 UN ceasefire monitors to Libya

The UN Security Council gave the green light for the deployment of 60 UN ceasefire monitors to Libya and called on the country’s new unity government to prepare for free, fair and inclusive elections on Dec. 24, Reuters reported.

A ceasefire in Libya has held since the autumn, but the main road across the front lines from Sirte to Misrata remains closed.

The Security Council unanimously approved Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ proposal for the deployment of the monitors.

“The monitors would be deployed to Sirte once all the requirements for a permanent United Nations presence have been met, including security, logistical, medical and operational aspects,” Guterres wrote to the council on April 7.

“In the meantime, forward presence would be established in Tripoli, as soon as conditions permit,” he said.

Libya’s unity government was sworn in on March 15 from two warring administrations that had ruled eastern and western regions, completing a smooth transition of power after a decade of violent chaos.

In the resolution adopted on Friday, the Security Council stressed the “full, equal and meaningful participation of women and the inclusion of youth” in the elections, Reuters reported.