Libyan National Army Announces Ceasefire during Ramadan

By Staff, Agencies

The Libyan National Army [LNA] headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar will cease hostilities during the holy month of Ramadan, which started on 24 April, LNA spokesman Major General Ahmad Mismari said.

"Amid this blessed reason as well as responding to the calls of brother and friendly nations for the cessation of hostilities during this holy month, the main command of the armed forces announces the cessation of all hostilities", Mismari said in a televised conference late Wednesday.

However, he pointed out that any breach of truce by the LNA's rivals would be followed by a harsh response.

On Monday, Haftar announced that the LNA was quitting the Skhirat agreement, which had led to the formation of the UN-backed Government of National Accord [GNA]. He also said that the LNA was now taking control of the country.

The situation in Libya escalated on 13 April when the Tripoli-based GNA said that it had launched a rapid offensive west of the country's capital and taken control over the cities of Sabratah and Surman. A day later, an official from the GNA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Tripoli-based forces had captured the coastal area from the city of Misrata, located east of the capital, to the city of Zuwara close to the Tunisian border.

Libya has been torn apart between two rival governments, an elected parliament in the country's east, supported by the LNA, and the GNA in the country's west, for years since the assassination of the country’s long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.