Pro-Haftar forces defying cease-fire by launching attacks on Abu Qurain
Libya's United Nations-backed government warned on Sunday that violations by its rival are dooming a tenuous ceasefire between both sides amid international efforts to halt a years-long conflict in the oil-rich country. On January 12, a ceasefire called by Russia and Turkey went into effect in and around Tripoli, the target of a months-long campaign by rival forces led by General Khalifa Haftar.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 04:52 | 26 January 2020
- Modified Date: 04:52 | 26 January 2020
Libya's UN-recognized government said Sunday that forces of renegade commander Khalifa Haftar had launched attacks in the country's northwest despite a call for cease-fire.
The militias attacked Abu Qurain area, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of the port city of Misrata, said Abdul-Malik Al-Madani, spokesman for the Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation by Libya's UN-recognized government.
The attacks came despite calls for cease-fire by the Berlin Conference.
Al-Madani said that violent clashes were ongoing in the region which was still under their control and civilian settlements were being shelled.
On Jan. 12, parties in Libya announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by the leaders of Turkey and Russia. But talks for a permanent cease-fire ended without an agreement after Haftar left Moscow without signing the deal.
A week later, Haftar accepted terms in Berlin to designate members to a UN-proposed military commission with five members from each side to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire.
Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.