Libya’s government, rebels agree to ceasefire brokered by Turkey, Russia

Libya’s internationally-recognized government and militia groups under the command of renegade General Khalifa Haftar have agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in a Saturday statement announced a ceasefire from midnight (2200 GMT), but he also underlined the “legitimate right” of government forces to “respond to any attack or aggression that may come from the other camp.”

The announcement came hours after Haftar’s forces announced a let-up in their months-long offensive to seize the Libyan capital of Tripoli from the government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, issued the call for a truce between the two rival forces following a bilateral meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday, with Haftar initially pushing back against the ceasefire deal and vowing to fight on.

But hours later, both the government and Haftar’s forces accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

The government said it recorded violations “minutes” after the ceasefire began. Haftar’s militia also said the government was breaching the truce on multiple fronts.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and at least 5,000 others wounded since the start of Haftar’s military operation, according to the UN.

SS