Libya’s liberal alliance proposes ceasefire in Tripoli

By Jihad Nasr

TRIPOLI (AA) - Libya's National Forces Alliance (NFA) on Tuesday announced an initiative to end fighting in the outskirts of capital Tripoli.

On April 4, military leader Khalifa Haftar, who is backing a rival government in eastern Libya, had launched a campaign to capture Tripoli.

After weeks of fighting in the city outskirts, Haftar's campaign failed to achieve its objective. But the forces remain deployed in several areas around the capital.

The NFA, which is an alliance of 58 liberal political parties and several NGOs, has proposed cessation of hostilities and setting up of humanitarian corridors around the capital, to pave way for a political dialogue.

The initiative also calls on Haftar forces to create a buffer zone and to allow stranded families to move out of the areas of fighting.

Libya is under turmoil since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in a bloody NATO-backed uprising, after four decades in power.

The oil-rich country is since divided into two power centers, one held by Haftar in eastern Libya, and another by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez al-Sarraj, who is prime minister and chairman of the presidential council. The GNA enjoys UN recognition.