Libyan eastern forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar announced on Saturday a ceasefire in the western region, which includes the capital Tripoli, starting 00:01 a.m. on Sunday (22:01 GMT) conditioned on acceptance by their rivals, a spokesman said.
Since April, Libyan National Army forces loyal to Haftar have been waging a campaign to take Tripoli, where they are battling forces aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
LNA on Thursday rebuffed a call by Turkey and Russia for the warring parties to declare a ceasefire amid clashes and air strikes in a conflict drawing increasing foreign involvement and concern.
However, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said in a video statement late on Saturday that LNA accepted a truce in the west “provided that the other party abides by the ceasefire.”
He warned that “any breach will be met with a harsh response”.
Turkey backs the Tripoli-based GNA headed by Fayez al-Serraj, while Russian military contractors have been deployed alongside the eastern forces.
“We welcome with pleasure the Russian and Turkish initiative that points to a cease-fire, as we are always open to and welcome any initiative that goes in this direction,” Serraj said in comments after meeting with Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte. “As long as it is conditioned on the complete withdrawal of the adversary, the attackers. But in our long experience, we do not trust any offers from the attackers because deception is the way they operate.”
Any ceasefire will likely be hard to uphold after a recent escalation in fighting around Tripoli and the strategic coastal city of Sirte and given the fractious, loose nature of Libya’s military alliances.
