The Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) has been criticized after its letter to the Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity as well as the Head of UNSMIL, calling for freezing state military agreements, and dissolving armed brigades in western Libya only, without naming any brigade under the command of Khalifa Haftar's forces.
The JMC was criticized by one of its members, Mustafa Yehya, who didn't attend the Saturday meeting for health problems. He said he didn't agree on the statement and letter of the JMC, adding that they were a deviation of the technical duties of the JMC, which would place now in a biased position.
Meanwhile, the Central Military Zone's Operations Room said the JMC has no right to interfere in politics and military as well as security agreements signed by Libya with "friend countries", adding that appointing ministers is within the Prime Minister’s authorities and that it has no right to communicate with the UN Support Mission or any other international organization.
It also lashed out at the JMC's call for pressuring the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to come up with a constitutional basis for elections in the name of "saving time to hold elections on schedule", denouncing the fact that the JMC didn't mention in its letter to the UNSMIL the need to hold accountable war criminals and those who helped wage wars and dig mass graves.
Likewise, a commander at the Anti-Terrorism Force, Mukktar Al-Hajjawi, said while the JMC was supposed to rally local and international support to implement the ceasefire agreement in full, it issued a statement that is beyond its tasks and authorization, interfering in politics and blaming the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum for any violations of the ceasefire, denouncing its avoidance to tackle violations already done to the ceasefire, especially Haftar's threats that he wouldn't be subordinated to any civilian authority.
Al-Hijjawi also said that the appointment of a defense minister is done and given to the Prime Minister since day one of endorsement at the House of Representatives, calling on the Presidential Council and Government of National Unity to put in place a clear mechanism for the work of the JMC and a timeline for implementing the ceasefire agreement, committing it to staying away from politics.
