Libya’s UN-recognized government on Friday announced a ceasefire across the country and called for the demilitarization of the disputed strategic city of Sirte, raising hopes for peace in the more than nine – year – old conflict.
The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) also demanded parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in March, and for an end to an oil blockade imposed by rival troops since earlier this year.
GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj “gave instructions to all military troops to stop fire and all combat operations in all Libyan territories,” a statement said.
Al-Sarraj added that the ultimate goal of the ceasefire was to “establish complete sovereignty over Libyan territory and the departure of foreign troops and mercenaries”.
There was no direct reaction from eastern gets military commander Khalifa Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA). However, Haftar agreed in June on an Egyptian initiative that included a ceasefire.
Stop military intervention
Aguila Saleh, speaker of the pro-Haftar Libyan parliament, called on all parties to maintain a ceasefire. Saleh said the ceasefire would prevent foreign military intervention in Libya.
The ceasefire will give the strategic city of Sirte a temporary seat for a new presidency guarded by security forces from various regions in the country, Saleh said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – who has supported Haftar and threatened to deploy troops across the border into Libya – welcomed the ceasefire, a statement said.
As the UN Support Mission in Libya did, the call for the liberation of all foreign troops and butchers in Libya. Both sides of the conflict are supported by thousands of mercenaries.
Sami Hamdi, editor-in-chief of The International Interest, a journal of current affairs analysis, said the announcements raised the prospect of peace in the North African nation following a number of failed ceasefires.
“I think this is the first time in the entire Libyan conflict that we have military stablemates, the military dynamics are equal,” Hamdi told Al Jazeera. “This time as a result of Turkish intervention, the western side, the GNA … has enough power to prevent Haftar from marching west.
“This ceasefire has a very good chance of lasting because the cost of a potential battle is so high and if an individual faction decides to launch a battle by itself it would find itself destroyed, “he added.
“Now, we are seeing a new phase in the negotiations between Turkey and the other foreign powers. All the dynamics suggest that all foreign powers prefer some kind of peace, at least for the time to come.”
Oil-rich land
Libya was plunged into chaos when a call by NATO-backed 2011 long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated, who was later assassinated. The country has since split between rival eastern and western based administrations, each supported by armed groups and foreign governments.
Haftar launched an offensive in April 2019, attempting to conquer the capital Tripoli.
But his campaign collapsed in June when the Tripoli-allied fighters, with Turkish support, gained the upper hand, and his forces drifted from the outskirts of Tripoli and other western cities.
The GNA was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but long-term political settlement efforts failed after a series of military offensives by troops loyal to Haftar.
The chaos in the oil country has lessened in recent months as foreign supporters increasingly intervene, despite promises to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year.
Haftar is supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. Turkey, a bitter rival of Egypt and the UAE in a broader regional struggle over political Islam, is the main protector of the Tripoli troops, who are also supported by the rich Gulf state of Qatar.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
