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Libya army: ‘Haftar's militia violated ceasefire’

August 27, 2020 at 3:11 pm

Commander of the Libyan national army and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, 7 November 2017 [Gambiatv2/Facebook]

The Libyan army announced today that the militia of General Khalifa Haftar has violated the ceasefire.

This came in a statement by the Sirte and Al-Jufra Operations Room, posted on Facebook.

The statement said: “The terrorist Al-Karama gangs and the affiliated Wagner mercenaries have targeted our valiant forces with more than 12 Grad missiles.”

The statement explained that this “is a clear breach of the ceasefire agreement that was announced last Friday.”

The statement stressed that “the Sirte and Al-Jufra Operations Room will not hesitate to respond to these actions, as approved by field operations.”

The Libyan government has warned Haftar’s militia of carrying on further attacks and committing crimes in the cities of Sirte and Traghan.

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The government said in a statement that it “will not stand idly by and will follow its duties of protecting the Libyan people and seeking to move them peacefully to a more stable stage.”

Since Friday, a ceasefire has been imposed in Libya, according to two simultaneous statements of the Libyan government’s Presidency Council, and the Tobruk House of Representatives, which supports Haftar in his fight against the government over legitimacy and authority in the oil-rich country.

The two statements, which included several understandings, most notably the two parties’ adherence to a ceasefire, as well as holding presidential and parliamentary elections, was widely welcomed by the Arab world and the international community, while Haftar’s spokesman, Ahmed Al-Mismari, attacked the initiative.

The Libyan government is trying relentlessly to ensure security in the country and improve public services, which have been severely affected by the military operation launched by the eastern forces against the government, with the support of Arab and Western countries.