Ayhan Şimşek
07 May 2019•Update: 08 May 2019
BERLIN
Germany announced Tuesday support for UN-led efforts to reach a humanitarian cease-fire in Libya during the holy month of Ramadan.
The announcement came after Chancellor Angela Merkel met Fayez al-Sarraj, the leader of Libya’s UN-recognized government in Berlin.
"The Chancellor has called for a return to a political process under the aegis of the United Nations," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. "She has welcomed the proposal of UN special envoy for a ceasefire in Libya during the Ramadan."
Al-Sarraj, who is leading the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), visited Berlin as part of diplomatic tour of European capitals seeking support.
In early April, forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, launched a wide-ranging campaign to capture Tripoli from the GNA.
Although Haftar has so far failed to wrest the capital from pro-GNA forces, sporadic fighting on the city’s outskirts has left numerous casualties on both sides.
Over the course of the last six weeks, at least 392 people have been killed, while 2,000 others have been injured, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Libya has remained beset by turmoil since long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
The country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.
