Africa

Libya's Government of National Accord to Continue Defending Tripoli, Foreign Minister Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) says it will continue to defend the country's capital of Tripoli and warns all sides against attempts to resume hostilities, Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala said Wednesday.
Sputnik

In June, the GNA successfully repelled a persistent assault on the capital by the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar.

"The Government of National Accord [GNA] is responsible for defending Tripoli and all Libyan cities and will not abandon this responsibility. We caution all sides against attempts to once again rekindle the flames of war," Siala said after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

The Libyan top diplomat said he had discussed the importance of protecting civilians and maintaining the ceasefire in the country with Lavrov.

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After the ouster and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya entered a period of a prolonged civil war. The country is currently divided between two centres of power — the eastern parliament supported by the LNA, and the GNA with the backing of the West. In January, an international conference took place in Berlin, with the participation of Russia, the United States, the European Union, Turkey and Egypt. The sides agreed to a ceasefire and the non-involvement of third parties in the conflict. In late October, the GNA and LNA signed the nationwide ceasefire deal at UN-facilitated commission talks in Geneva.

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