After over a week of fighting and a failed truce, the United Nations announced on Tuesday that a ceasefire has been reached in the fighting between rival militias in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
"Under the auspices of (UN envoy Ghassan Salameh), a ceasefire agreement was reached and signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property," the UNSMIL mission said.
The fighting in and around Tripoli since August 27 has killed more than 50 people and wounded 138 others, most of them civilians, according to the Libyan health ministry of the Government of National Accord.
On Tuesday and after another day of violence in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, the fighting came to a pause in the early evening but it was unclear if all the groups involved would respect the agreement.
Last week, a ceasefire deal announced by officials from western cities only held for a few hours.
UNSMIL said on Twitter that the ceasefire agreement also provides for the reopening of Mitiga airport, the capital's only functioning airport that has been closed since August 31 due to the unrest.
The agreement "today does not aim to fix all the Libyan capital's security problems; it seeks to agree on a broader framework on the way to start addressing these issues," it added.
The UN mission said among those who took part in the closed-door talks were military officers and leaders of various armed groups present in and around the capital.
Representatives of the UN-backed GNA including the interior minister also attended the talks.
The fighting has pitted armed groups from Tarhuna and Misrata against each other, even though they are both supposed to be under the control of the GNA.
