UN confirms Libya's rival parties keen to maintain truce

Libya's rival parties are keen to maintain the truce in and around the capital city and expressed this attitude during the first round talks of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission in Geneva, said the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday.

"UNSMIL takes note of the existing consensus around the importance of maintaining the truce that had been announced on 12 January this year, of the necessity to respect it and refrain from violating it," UNSMIL said in a statement.

The UNSMIL expressed appreciation to both parties for "coming to Geneva, for upholding in earnest the responsibilities they had been entrusted with as well as for the professional and positive spirit that characterized their discussions."

"UNSMIL also notes the widespread consensus between both sides with regard to the urgency for Libyans to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country; protect its borders; protect national decision-making process and resources from any foreign interference; stop the flow of non-Libyan fighters and send them out of the country; and to continue the fight against the UN-identified terrorist groups (al-Qaeda, ISIS, Ansar al-Sharia)," the statement said.

The east-based army had been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the capital city from the UN-backed government.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals agreed to a cease-fire on Jan. 12, but both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.