Libya’s warring sides announce immediate ceasefire

The rival sides in Libya’s civil war have announced an immediate ceasefire, the BBC reported.

The Tripoli-based and United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) published a statement on its Facebook page on Friday saying GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj had “issued instructions to all military forces to immediately cease fire and all combat operations in all Libyan territories”.

The GNA also called for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in March, and for an end to an oil blockade imposed earlier this year by the rival Libyan National Army, led by rebel General Khalifa Haftar.

Sarraj added the ultimate aim of the truce is to impose “full sovereignty over the Libyan territory and the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries”.

Although there has been no direct comment from the LNA, Aguila Saleh, speaker of the eastern-based parliament which supports Haftar, also announced a ceasefire, the BBC said.

Both the United Nations and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who also backs Haftar, have welcomed the ceasefire.

Turkey and Qatar support the GNA, while the LNA is backed by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

Turkey stepped up its military support to the GNA in December 2019, sending drones and other military hardware to Libya, along with thousands of Syrian mercenaries, many of whom have links to Islamist militant groups.

The GNA won a string of major victories in recent months – recapturing almost all the territories LNA forces had previously taken in a bid to capture Tripoli, which Haftar launched in April 2019.

The GNA’s next target appeared to be the coastal city of Sirte – a gateway to the largest oil reserves in Africa.

In June, Sisi warned that Sirte was a “red line”, signalling possible military intervention if the Turkish-backed GNA mounted a full offensive on the city.

Libya has been riven by violence since the dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.