Haftar agrees to UN call for truce in Libya

By Mehmet Nuri Ucar and Cihad Nasr

TRIPOLI (AA) - Khalifa Haftar, leader of eastern Libyan forces, accepted Saturday the UN call for ceasefire in the capital Tripoli on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha, a Muslim religious holiday.

Ahmad al-Mesmari, a spokesman for Haftar forces, told a press conference in the city of Benghazi that commander Haftar accepted the UN call as of Saturday and he ordered to halt all attacks on Tripoli until Aug. 12.

On Friday, the Libyan Government of National Accord also accepted the UN call for truce.

On July 29, Ghassan Salame, special representative of the secretary-general of the UN, offered a truce between the parties in Libya on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha.

Turkey, and the EU also welcomed the call and voiced support for Salame’s proposal.

Early April, forces loyal to Haftar launched a campaign to capture Tripoli from forces aligned with the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Clashes between the two sides since then have left more than 1,000 people dead and about 5,500 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power.

The oil-rich country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and the Tripoli-based GNA, which enjoys UN recognition.

*Writing by Sena Guler