US welcomes Haftar’s acceptance of ceasefire in Libya, as his militias attack civilians hours later

The US Embassy said it joins the UN Support Mission in Libya in welcoming Khalifa Haftar’s announcement Saturday evening that he will join the Government of National Accord (GNA) in observing an immediate and reciprocal humanitarian cessation of hostilities as called for by the Department of State in its statement earlier on the same day and by many international partners in recent days.

The US embassy said in a statement that strict adherence to a cessation of hostilities by Libyan actors and their foreign supporters is the only way to enable Libyan authorities from across the country to combine their efforts as they seek to effectively combat the COVID-19 crisis and promote the health of all Libyans as well as address the immediate humanitarian needs of those most vulnerable and affected by the conflict.

The US embassy urged all combatants to follow through on their pledges to stand down from military operations immediately.

“This will also provide an opportunity to determine how, despite the restrictions imposed by the health crisis, work may resume in the spirit of UN Security Council Resolution 2510 on the UN-led negotiations on the security, economic, and political issues underlying the conflict.” The statement reads.

Haftar’s spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari said from his quarantine, as he was lodged there after arriving from Egypt, that their forces had agreed to the ceasefire.

Haftar’s acceptance of the ceasefire came hours after the US called on him to do so, however; he later on the day broke the commitment to the halt of hostilities by firing rockets on different civilian areas in Tripoli, killing a father and injuring two of his sons as one rocket landed in their house in Kihili area in Ain Zara, south of Tripoli.