Libya's Haftar, GNA agree to conditional Eid truce

TRIPOLI - Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces agreed Saturday to a UN-backed truce around the capital Tripoli to mark the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, Haftar's spokesman said.

Haftar's forces "announce a halt to all military operations... in the suburbs of Tripoli," Ahmad al-Mesmari said at a press conference in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army has been fighting since early April to seize Tripoli from the country's unity government.

Libya's government earlier said it was willing to accept the truce but listed four conditions.

The United Nations had initially called on both the UN-recognised Government of National Accord and forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar to commit to a humanitarian truce by midnight on Friday.

Late Friday, the GNA said it was keen to "ease the suffering of the citizens and allow rescue workers to accomplish their mission".

Therefore it said it "accepted a humanitarian truce for Eid al-Adha", which will be celebrated in Libya on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

But it listed "four conditions".

It said the ceasefire must be observed "in all combat zones, with a cessation of direct and indirect fire and movement of troops".

It said the truce must include "a ban on flights and reconnaissance overflights across the entire (Libyan) airspace as well as a halt to flights from airbases".

The GNA had also called on the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to "ensure the implementation of the truce and note any breaches".

The UNSMIL, in a statement on Saturday, said it received a response from the GNA "declaring its agreement to the truce" but "has not received any response" from Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army.

"UNSMIL regrets that it did not receive what it was hoping for, for the sake of the Libyan people and their interests", the statement said, calling however on all sides to "respect the sanctity of the Eid".

Haftar's LNA launched an offensive against Tripoli -- seat of the GNA -- in early April.

Over the past four months, 1,093 people have been killed in the fighting and 5,752 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while more than 120,000 people have been displaced.

Forces loyal to the GNA are keeping Haftar's troops at bay on the southern outskirts of the city.

UN envoy Ghassan Salame has already called several times for humanitarian truces, without success.

In a video conference with the UN Security Council late last month, Salame warned against mounting tensions and called for a ceasefire for Eid Al-Adha.