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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Libyan National Army, GNA Agree to UN Truce for Adha Holiday

Fighters loyal to Libya’s GNA hold a position west of the city of Aziziah, some 60 kilometers southwest of the capital Tripoli. (AFP)

The Libyan National Army and Government of National Accord announced that they would comply with a United Nations-proposed truce in hostilities on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

The LNA announced on Saturday a halt to military operations against Tripoli.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mismari on Saturday announced "a halt to all military operations... in the suburbs of Tripoli".

Mismari said the truce had gone into effect at 3:00 PM (1300 GMT) on Saturday and would last until the same time on Monday afternoon.

The Tripoli-based GNA had said Friday that it was ready to accept “with conditions” the UN ceasefire.

The GNA said it was keen to "ease the suffering of the citizens and allow rescue workers to accomplish their mission".

Therefore, it said it "accepted a humanitarian truce for Eid al-Adha," which will be celebrated in Libya on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

But it listed "four conditions".

It said the ceasefire must be observed "in all combat zones, with a cessation of direct and indirect fire and movement of troops".

It said the truce must include "a ban on flights and reconnaissance overflights across the entire (Libyan) airspace as well as a halt to flights from airbases".

The LNA had launched an operation against Tripoli to cleanse it of criminal and terrorist gangs in April.

Over the past four months, 1,093 people have been killed in fighting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

UN envoy Ghassan Salame has already called several times for humanitarian truces, without success.

In a video conference with the UN Security Council late last month, Salame warned against mounting tensions and called for a ceasefire for Eid al-Adha.

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