Rival forces agree to Eid truce
TRIPOLI: Forces battling for control of Libya’s capital agreed to a truce on Saturday, on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, but a car bomb shattered the peace by killing three UN staff in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Military strongman Khalifa Haftar’s forces announced they would implement a ceasefire, after the unity government conditionally accepted the truce for the three-day Muslim holiday which starts today.
Gen Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has been fighting since early April to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.
The United Nations had called on both sides to commit to a humanitarian truce by midnight on Friday.
Gen Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari on Saturday announced “a halt to all military operations... in the suburbs of Tripoli”.
Mr Mesmari said the truce had gone into effect and would last until today afternoon.
The GNA said it was keen to “ease the suffering of the citizens and allow rescue workers to accomplish their mission” and would accept “a humanitarian truce for Eid al-Adha”.
But it listed several conditions as part of the deal, saying the ceasefire must be observed “in all combat zones, with a cessation of direct and indirect fire and movement of troops”.
It added that the truce must include “a ban on flights and reconnaissance overflights” across the country’s entire airspace.
The GNA also called on the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to “ensure the implementation of the truce and note any breaches”.
Gen Haftar’s spokesman said the ceasefire was “out of respect for this occasion’s place in our spirits... so that Libyan citizens can celebrate this Eid in peace”.
But in Gen Haftar-controlled Benghazi, a car bombing killed three UN staff and injured three more, the UN said.
“Three United Nations colleagues were killed in the bombing and three others are among the injured,” it said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”.
He called on the Libyan authorities “to spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this attack”. Authorities are still gathering evidence.
He also urged all parties to “respect the humanitarian truce... and return to the negotiating table”.
Previously, a security official had said that eight other people were injured, including a child.
Thick black smoke rose from the area and firefighters rushed to put out the flames that gutted two cars, including a white vehicle like those used by the UN.
No side had claimed responsibility for the blast.
The UN’s Libya envoy Ghassan Salame called the incident a “cowardly attack”.