Russia lends support to Hafar's Libya cease-fire plan

Cairo Declarations calls for cease-fire as of Monday

MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday announced its support for a cease-fire in Libya which was signed by warlord Khalifa Haftar, after his militias faced heavy losses in recent days.

"We read the content of the Egyptian President's offer, of course, we support all kinds of offers to stop the conflicts in Libya as soon as possible,” said Mikhail Bogdanov, special representative of Russia to the Middle East and African countries, according to the Ria News Agency.

Haftar and his allies gathered in the Egyptian capital on Saturday to sign the Cairo Declaration.

The initiative calls for a cease-fire in Libya as of Monday and setting up a new organisation to form the House of Representatives and the Presidential Council.

Bogdanov underlined that Russia was expecting this declaration.

Libya’s internationally recognised government has been under attack by Haftar's forces since April 2019.

In March, the Libyan government launched Operation Peace Storm to counter attacks on the capital, and recently regained strategic locations, including the Al-Watiya airbase and the strategic city of Tarhuna.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to the military offensive by Haftar’s forces.