Arab League renews calls for permanent cease-fire in Libya

In a statement, the pan-Arab organisation appreciated the progress made during the second round of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks concluded on Sunday in Geneva.

The Arab League also welcomed the announcement by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) that the rival Libyan parties came up with a draft cease-fire agreement to facilitate the return of displaced people, Xinhua news agency reported.

It urged parties involved to urgently resume discussions on the draft in order to endorse it and agree on permanent and comprehensive arrangements to enforce and monitor the cease-fire.

The UNSMIL announced on Monday that UN-backed government and the eastern-based army of Libya prepared a draft cease-fire agreement to facilitate the safe return of civilians to their areas with the implementation of a joint monitoring mechanism under the auspices of UNSMIL and the JMC.

UNSMIL also renewed its call for the rival parties to fully abide by the current truce and the protection of the civilian population and properties and vital infrastructure.

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple 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 have agreed to cease fire on January 12. However, both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.