Erdogan agrees Libya ceasefire despite Turkey’s military involvement

Turkish President, Algeria’s counterpart agree to intensify their efforts to impose ceasefire in Libya as Ankara keeps sending Syrian mercenaries to war-torn country.

LONDON – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed with Algerian counterpart Abdelamdjid Tebboune to intensify their efforts to impose a ceasefire in Libya despite Turkey’s military involvement in the conflict.

Erdogan has sent Syrian mercenaries to the war-torn North African country to support Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj’s Government of National Accord and the armed militias loyal to him in their fight against the Libyan National Army despite repeated international warnings against foreign interference.

There has been a major influx of Turkish mercenaries, weapons and equipment over the past weeks, and Turkish officers are now running the operations. 

“The two presidents agreed to intensify their efforts to impose a ceasefire, a precursor necessary to facilitate a political solution between the Libyans on the basis of respect for popular legitimacy guaranteeing Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya, according to a phone conversation between Erdogan and Tebboune on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

The number of Syrian fighters in Libya has so far reached 9,000 while Turkey initially planned to send no more than 6,000 fighters, due to the impact of the losses incurred by Ankara’s allies against military commander Khalifa Haftar’s LNA forces.

The two leaders also condemned the Israeli plan to annex new parts of the occupied West Bank, calling the act as yet another gross violation of international law and an obstruction of the world peace process.