EU welcomes UN-brokered cease-fire in Libya’s Tripoli

By Sena Guler

ANKARA

The EU welcomed on Wednesday the UN-brokered cease-fire in the Libyan capital Tripoli between rival militia groups that have been in conflict since late August.

“The cease-fire agreed among several groups yesterday under the auspices of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Ghassan Salame, is a welcome step that should lead to the much-needed de-escalation of the violence in and around Tripoli,” EU Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in a statement.

Kocijancic also called on all parties involved “to fully respect the agreement and implement all its terms in a spirit of compromise and in the interest of the Libyan people”.

She reiterated that the EU would continue to support the UN-led mediation process in order to provide "a lasting solution to the political crisis in Libya".

On Tuesday, the UN announced that a cease-fire agreement had been reached between the warring militias.

Parties to the truce agreed to cease all hostilities, ensure that civilians were not put at risk and that human rights -- along with all private and public property -- are respected.

On Sunday, Libya's UN-backed unity government declared a state of emergency in Tripoli and its outskirts amid ongoing clashes between rival groups.

The move came after 38 people were killed in fighting that pitted militias aligned with the unity government against one another.

Several western governments issued statements calling for an end to the violence, which erupted after the Seventh Infantry Brigade (affiliated with the Defense Ministry) accused the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade (affiliated with the Interior Ministry) of attacking its positions in southern Tripoli.

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the death of longstanding leader Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily-armed militia groups.