Marshal Khalifa Haftar's forces announced on Saturday (August 10th) that they will accept the temporary truce called for by the United Nations on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, a four-day Muslim holiday. The Government of National Unity (GNA) has said he is ready to respect this humanitarian truce, under certain conditions.

Strong man from eastern Libya, Marshal Haftar announced "the stopping of all military operations in the suburbs of Tripoli," said the spokesman for his self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (NLA), General Ahmed al- Mesmari, at a press conference in Benghazi, in the east of the country.

"The truce begins today, Saturday, from 15h (13h GMT) and will last until Monday at 15h also," he added, adding that the response of the ANL to any violation of the truce would be "immediate and severe on all fronts".

"Four conditions"

In a statement, the GNA said, a few hours earlier, "accept a humanitarian truce for the holidays of Al-Adha", a religious celebration that begins Sunday and continues until Tuesday in Libya.

The Government of National Unity, however, immediately imposed "four conditions", claiming that the truce concerns "all areas of combat, with cessation of direct and indirect fire and any movement of troops."

It also calls for "the prohibition of flights and reconnaissance overflights in the entire airspace, as well as any departure of aircraft from the air bases".

On 4 April, Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to conquer UN-recognized Tripoli, the seat of the GNA.

After more than four months of deadly clashes, the ANL stagnates on the outskirts of the capital, hampered by forces loyal to the NLG.

An air strike against a town in southern Libya, attributed by the ANG to pro-Haftar forces, killed some 40 civilians on August 5th.

Concerned about escalating fighting, Ghassan Salame, UN envoy to Libya and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (Manul), had repeatedly called for a truce, without success.

The GNA then called on Manul to "ensure the implementation of this truce and to identify any violations".

According to a latest report released Friday (August 9th) by the World Health Organization, fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli has left 1,093 dead and 5,752 injured since April 4th as well as more than 120,000 displaced.

With AFP