TRIPOLI, Feb 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Libya’s rival parties are keen to maintain truce in and around the capital and expressed this attitude during the first round of talks of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission in Geneva, said the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), on Saturday.
“UNSMIL takes note of the existing consensus around the importance of maintaining the truce, that had been announced on Jan 12, of the necessity to respect it and refrain from violating it,” UNSMIL said in a statement.
UNSMIL expressed appreciation to both parties for “coming to Geneva, for upholding in earnest the responsibilities they had been entrusted with, as well as, for the professional and positive spirit that characterised their discussions.”
The east-based army had been leading a military campaign since Apr, 2019, in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the capital city from the UN-backed government.
The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.
The rivals agreed to a cease-fire on Jan 12, but both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.
