On Sunday, the US Embassy in Libya welcomed the approval by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) of a humanitarian truce in order to allow authorities to respond to the public health challenge posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Embassy said that a complete commitment by the Libyan parties to cease hostilities is the only way to effectively address the virus and meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Libyans who have been affected by the conflict.
It also called on all parties to work together to suspend military operations, reject toxic foreign interference, and enable health authorities to fight this global pandemic.
“We hope that the humanitarian truce will lead to an agreement and a political solution between the two parties regarding a final ceasefire in the context of the work of the Joint Military Commission (5 + 5),” the Embassy added.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the positive response from Libya’s warring parties to endorse a humanitarian ceasefire in order to allow local authorities to face the challenge posed by COVID-19.
The U.N. chief “hopes that this will be translated into an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a civil war backed by a NATO intervention toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi
