U.S. President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Libya in a telephone conversation on Monday, a White House official said.
President Donald Trump “… spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The two leaders discussed the need to eliminate foreign interference and maintain the ceasefire in Libya. The leaders agreed that the violence being carried out in Idlib, Syria must stop,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said on Twitter.
Today, @realDonaldTrump spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The two leaders discussed the need to eliminate foreign interference and maintain the ceasefire in Libya. The leaders agreed that the violence being carried out in Idlib, Syria must stop.
— Judd Deere 45 Archived (@JuddPDeere45) January 28, 2020
Libya has been dogged by war since December 2011, and the situation heightened in early 2019 when rebel General Khalifa Hafter pledged to take over Tripoli from the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Hafter announced in early December a final push to take over the capital from al-Sarraj’s government, unleashing heavy clashes on the southern edges of the city.
Since 2011, the Libyan war has killed thousands and displaced millions as militant groups and human trafficking cells sought to impose their command in various regions across the country.
Turkey has deployed troops into Libya to support al-Sarraj fight back Hafter’s troops.
On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that despite a ceasefire deal in place, Turkey has no plans of withdrawing its troops from the North African country, and will continue offering support to GNA forces.
The United Nations and some International actors have called upon the warring factions to engage in dialogue in order to end the conflict and put the country back on course to the formation of a unified government.
