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Afnews Media
Jan 12, 2020
Fighters in eastern Libya loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar have announced a ceasefire in the western region, which includes the capital Tripoli, starting 00:01am on Sunday (22:01 GMT), conditioned on acceptance by their rivals, a spokesman said.
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Forces loyal to Haftar have been battling forces aligned with the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) - with the aim of capturing Tripoli - since April.
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Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) on Thursday rebuffed a call by Turkey and Russia for the warring parties to declare a ceasefire amid clashes and air raids in a conflict drawing increasing foreign involvement and concern.
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However, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said in a video statement late on Saturday that the LNA accepted a truce in the west "provided that the other party abides by the ceasefire."
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He warned that "any breach will be met with a harsh response".
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Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said the fact that the warring factions agreed to a ceasefire did not mean an end to hostilities.
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"[This is] especially with the UN-recognised government demanding that Haftar's forces pull out from southern Tripoli as a prerequisite to any settlement in this conflict," he said.
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The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomed the truce and urged the warring parties "to strictly abide by the ceasefire and make a room for peaceful efforts to address all disputes through a Libyan-Libyan dialogue".
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Turkey backs the Tripoli-based GNA headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, while Russian military contractors have been deployed alongside the eastern forces.
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Anas El Gomati, an analyst working on Libya, told Al Jazeera that the international community needed to find a unified position over the deadly conflict.
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He said: "When we think that there is so much disunity in the international community, they have to have a conference about finding a unified position amongst themselves before they can even bring Libyans to the table. That's the main issue here."
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A senior GNA official said on Thursday that it welcomed any credible ceasefire proposal but had a duty to protect Libyans from Haftar's offensive.
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Any ceasefire will probably be hard to uphold after a recent escalation in fighting around Tripoli and the strategic coastal city of Sirte, and given the fractious, loose nature of Libya's military alliances.
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Forces loyal to Haftar said this week they had taken control of Sirte in a rapid advance preceded by air raids.
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Earlier on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Libyan peace talks would be held in Berlin, adding that Libya's warring parties would need to play a major role to help find a solution.
