Libyan Strongman Haftar Commits to Conditional Cease-fire

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has agreed to a cease-fire on condition that forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) abide by its terms. Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) – which, along with its allies, controls much of the country’s East and South – has been waging a nearly year-long campaign to retake the capital Tripoli, the seat of the GNA. Haftar, a former general in Muammar Gaddafi’s army, made the commitment to French President Emmanuel Macron following meetings in Paris. Despite repeated attempts to forge a truce and an international peace conference, chaos has progressively increased in Libya. The UN has accused the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which back Haftar, as well as Turkey, which supports the GNA and recently deployed troops to defend it, of violating an arms embargo on Libya. Haftar’s overture comes with the GNA being starved of billions of dollars in oil revenue. According to Arab media, forces loyal to the LNA recently seized large oil-export terminals and cut off major pipelines, leading to a massive drop in production from about 1.2 million barrels a day to just 120,000.