Waleed Abdullah
13 January 2020•Update: 13 January 2020
TRIPOLI, Libya
The head of Libya's UN-recognized government, Fayez al-Sarraj, said Monday his government has accepted a cease-fire deal with renegade commander Khalifa Haftar to prevent more bloodshed in the country.
"We will not ignore the sacrifices of our sons and martyrs or our dream for a civil state," al-Sarraj said in an interview with the private Alahrar TV channel.
"Our acceptance of the cease-fire comes from a position of strength to maintain national and social cohesion," he said.
Al-Sarraj said his government forces, however, are ready "to resume military operations in case of any break to the cease-fire".
The cease-fire called by Turkey and Russia came into force on Sunday, with the agreement celebrated in Tripoli with fireworks.
In April, Haftar launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the UN-recognized government.
According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and more than 5,000 others injured.
On Sunday, Lev Dengov, the head of the Russian contact group on intra-Libyan settlement, said al-Sarraj and Haftar may visit Moscow soon in an effort to resolve the Libyan crisis.
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 the other in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.
* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara
