BENGHAZI, LIBYA // The army of Libya’s internationally recognised government declared a ceasefire on Sunday, two days after the Fajr Libya militia alliance announced a truce.
“We declare a ceasefire from midnight [2200 GMT] Sunday,” the army said, stressing however that it would continue to pursue “terrorists”, as UN-brokered peace talks resume in Geneva next week.
The army’s announcement came after the UN security council welcomed the Fajr Libya ceasefire and threatened to impose sanctions on any party that obstructed peace efforts.
The army also said it would monitor the situation on ground “to prevent any change in front lines or transportation of weapons and ammunition” which it would consider a violation of the truce.
Soldiers “have been given the right to defend themselves if they come under fire,” the statement added.
On Friday, the Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militia alliance said it had agreed to “a ceasefire on all fronts” in the North African country on condition that “the other parties respect the truce”.
It also pledged to open up “safe passages to channel humanitarian aid”, especially in Libya’s second-largest city of Benghazi.
Fajr Libya did not take part in a first round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva last week, during which Libya's opposing factions agreed on a roadmap to form a unity government.
“There can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya,” the UN council said in a statement on Saturday.
It warned it was “prepared to sanction those who threaten Libya’s peace, stability or security or that obstruct or undermine the successful completion of its political transition”, and called for all warring sides to attend next week’s meeting in Geneva.
About 600 people have been killed in three months of heavy fighting between Libyan pro-government forces and extremist groups in Benghazi, medical staff said on Sunday.
Backed by forces led by a former general, army special forces launched an offensive against the extremists in Benghazi in mid-October, expelling them from the airport area and from several camps the army had lost during the summer.
The fighting is part of a wider struggle in the oil producer where two governments and parliaments, allied to armed groups, are vying for control almost four year after the ousting of long-time ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
For two months the army has been trying to take the port area and two other districts where pro-government forces say fighters from the Ansar Al Sharia group are holed up. The port has had to close.
“The total death toll is around 600,” one medic said. A witness saw most parts of the city were controlled by special forces and allies loyal to former general Khalifa Haftar. Some districts had suffered heavy destruction from aircraft and artillery fire. “We control 90 per cent of the city,” said Mohamed El Hejazi, spokesman for Gen Haftar and the army.
The UN special envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, had warned at the start of the Geneva talks last week that they were a last-ditch effort to prevent all-out chaos.
* Agence France-Presse and Reuters