Some 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters on the side of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar are to leave the war-wracked country, military sources said Thursday.

A "first group of 300 mercenaries and foreign fighters" are to be repatriated "at the request of France", representatives of the east-based Haftar's forces said in a statement.

The announcement, which gave no timetable, comes on the eve of an international conference in Paris aimed at restoring stability in the North African country.

The UN estimates that 20,000 mercenaries and foreign fighters are deployed in Libya, including from the Russian private security firm Wagner as well as from Chad, Sudan and Syria.

Haftar is believed to have received military support from the UAE, Russia and Egypt, while Turkish support was critical in helping western forces repel his fighters in a 2019-2020 battle for Tripoli.

A UN report released in October revealed that all sides, "including third states, foreign fighters and mercenaries, have violated international humanitarian law... and some have also committed war crimes".

Libya has been struggling to move past the violence that has wracked the oil-rich nation since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

An October 2020 ceasefire between eastern and western forces led to a fragile unity government taking office in March.

Under a UN-backed roadmap, Libya is due to hold elections.

On Monday, Libya opened registration for candidates, with a presidential vote to take place in December and legislative polls in January.