Eastern Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar has told French President Emmanuel Macron he will sign a ceasefire and stick to it if militias loyal to the UN-recognised government in Tripoli abide by it. The unannounced meeting between Haftar and Macron came as fighting continued to rage across much of the Libyan capital’s southern outskirts. In April 2019, Haftar launched a military campaign to wrest control of Tripoli from the United Nations-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). The offensive was largely stalled by forces loyal to the GNA. Several countries backing rival factions in Libya have violated an arms embargo, according to the UN, which has previously named the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey for breaching the embargo. After the Berlin conference, the violations increased, and the UN denounced the countries without naming them. The UAE and Egypt support Haftar, while the GNA is backed by Turkey. France has been accused of lending political support to Haftar, but Paris has denied this.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
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