The 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) is a Libyan military dialogue body composed of five senior officers from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA, later the Government of National Unity) and five from the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar. It was convened under United Nations auspices as part of the Berlin Process on Libya launched in January 2020.
The commission's defining achievement was the permanent nationwide ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva on 23 October 2020, brokered by then-Acting UN Special Representative Stephanie Williams. The text called for:
- An immediate halt to fighting on all front lines.
- The withdrawal of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libyan territory within three months.
- The departure of foreign forces and the dismantling of training agreements with foreign units.
- The creation of a joint police force to monitor sensitive areas, particularly around Sirte and Jufra.
- Reopening of land and air routes between eastern and western Libya.
Subsequent rounds were held in Ghadames, Sirte, and elsewhere. The JMC oversaw practical confidence-building measures, including prisoner exchanges and the partial reopening of the coastal highway between Misrata and Benghazi in 2021.
Implementation has been uneven. The ceasefire has largely held along the main contact line, but the deadline for foreign-fighter withdrawal lapsed without compliance: Russian Wagner Group personnel, Syrian fighters recruited by Turkey, Sudanese forces, and Turkish military advisers have remained. The political track stalled after planned December 2021 elections were postponed indefinitely.
The 5+5 format is notable as a rare functioning channel of direct communication between the two rival Libyan military establishments at a time when the political dialogue (Libyan Political Dialogue Forum) has repeatedly faltered. It is supported by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and referenced in multiple UN Security Council resolutions extending UNSMIL's mandate. Analysts view it as a fragile but irreplaceable de-escalation mechanism rather than a comprehensive security-sector reform vehicle.
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In October 2020, the 5+5 JMC signed a permanent ceasefire in Geneva that froze front lines around Sirte and called for foreign mercenaries to leave Libya within three months.