Germany renews call for truce in Libya amid strikes

BERLIN

The German government on Friday reaffirmed the need for a cease-fire in Libya amid ongoing deadly attacks by forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, a renegade commander from east of the country.

"The Berlin process we are working on aims at achieving a cease-fire and compliance of the arms embargo on all sides and that includes all sides," German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said at a weekly government news briefing in Berlin.

"It is because we find that both of these things are very important and it is essentially important to get into a conversation under the aegis of the United Nations in Libya to pacify the situation there. Armistice and compliance with the arms embargo are two very important cornerstones and that includes everyone," she added.

Libya's UN-backed government condemned airstrikes carried out by Haftar's forces in the city of Misrata.

The Libyan capital Tripoli, the headquarters of Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), has been under attack since early April from forces loyal to Haftar.

According to UN data, more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured since the start of the operation.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.