Libya ceasefire talks to resume in Geneva

After Libya's internationally-recognised government pulled out of Geneva talks after shelling by Khalifa Haftar's forces, a UN spokesman confirmed they are back on.
2 min read
20 February, 2020
Talks towards Libya's political solution are scheduled to begin in Geneva on February 26 [Getty]
Libya's rival factions have resumed talks in Geneva to establish a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn country, the UN told The New Arab on Thursday.

Days after Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) announced it would pull out of the talks, Jean Al-Alam, a spokesman for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, confirmed to The New Arab the discussions are underway again.

After an uneventful first round of military talks early this month, UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame organised a second round on Tuesday with five GNA senior officers and five negotiators representing Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA).

The GNA then abruptly halted its participation after rockets hit a port in Tripoli, the capital where the internationally-recognised government is based and is besieged by Haftar's forces.

There were no claims of responsibility for the attack.

The strikes were the latest affront to the shaky truce between both parties enacted in January and brokered by Russia, which backs Haftar's forces, and Turkey, which supports the GNA.

Talks towards a political solution in Libya are scheduled to begin in Geneva on 26 February.

The fighting that has taken place since Haftar's offensive on Tripoli last April has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000 according to the United Nations.

AFP contributed to this report.

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