Is the end of the civil war now finally coming after nine years?
After years of fighting, the opposing sides in Libya have announced a ceasefire and upcoming elections. The unity government in Tripoli in the west of the country and the rival parliament in the east of Libya announced this in separate statements on Friday. Much of the east and south of the country is controlled by General Haftar’s forces.
Prime Minister Sarradsch’s announcement came more than two months after supporters of the government were able to regain control of several areas near Tripoli. In doing so, they stopped a Haftar offensive on the capital that began last year.
Gaddafi’s legacy: political chaos
Agila Saleh, the chairman of the parliament allied with Haftar in eastern Libya, also called for an immediate ceasefire in the country. The ceasefire blocks the way for any foreign military intervention in the country and leads to the withdrawal of mercenaries and the dissolution of militias, he added in a statement released by the Libyan UN mission.
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Background: Political chaos has reigned in Libya since the overthrow of long-term ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. Haftar, whose troops are supported by the parliament in eastern Libya, is fighting the UN-recognized government of Prime Minister Fajis al-Sarradsch in the capital Tripoli. Both sides are allied with militias.
Other countries are also involved in the conflict: Turkey and Qatar are on the side of the unity government, while the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia support Haftar and his troops.
In April 2019, he began an offensive to conquer Tripoli, but has not yet succeeded. An international Libya conference in Berlin in January this year was initially unable to completely end the bloodshed.
The UN welcomed the “agreement” between the two sides. The federal government also rates the news positively. A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said that not all details were known yet. But it could be an important step towards resolving the conflict.
During his visit to Libya on Monday, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) warned of “deceptive calm” in the civil war country. Because of the ongoing rearmament of the two conflicting parties by their international supporters, “the danger of a military escalation continues to be great,” said Maas at a joint press conference with his Libyan colleague Mohammed Taha Siala in Tripoli. He insisted on a continuation of the Libyan truce talks.
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