May 16-18, 2014: "Operation Dignity" - Offensives in Benghazi and Tripoli
The war began on May 16, 2014, with an offensive by Haftar's forces in Benghazi against Islamist groups such as Ansar al-Sharia. The latter is believed to be responsible for several kidnappings and assassinations, including that of then-U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. This fight was also joined by the Libyan Air Force and the As-Saiqa special forces. Fighting continued into late February 2015 and is one of the flashpoints of the war. Benghazi airport in particular is contested between the Libyan National Army and Ansar al-Sharia.
On May 17, 2014, Haftar announced that the Libyan parliament had been deposed and that Tripoli would soon be "liberated." He declared that the General National Congress was illegal because the parliament had tolerated terrorists gaining a foothold in Libya. Head of government Thenni in turn called Haftar's offensive illegal. The government then imposed a no-fly zone over Benghazi.
Haftar's militias attempted to capture Tripoli beginning May 18, 2014. Equipped with anti-aircraft guns loaded on pickup trucks, mortars and rocket launchers, the Libyan National Congress was attacked. Many congressmen reportedly "ran for their lives" here. On the same day, officers announced the dissolution of the National Congress. 40 members of parliament and most of the army joined Haftar. On May 21, 2014, the Alliance of National Forces announced that it would support Haftar against "the forces of terrorism, darkness, murder, and chaos." The interior minister also joined the new alliance.
In a televised address, Haftar, surrounded by officers, accused the Islamist-led parliament of turning Libya into a state that would "sponsor terrorism" and where "terrorists" would infiltrate the government and the state. But the coup failed when initial fighting was reported from Tagiura and Tripoli. Ansar al-Sharia accused Haftar of waging a "war against Islam" and called him the "true terrorist." Haftar's alliance described it as a mix of "former members of the Gaddafi regime and their masters from the West."
May 22-31: Pro-Haftar demonstrations:
The days following the dramatic escalation of both camps were marked by mass protests for General Haftar. Tens of thousands of Libyans demonstrated in support of Haftar with shouts and banners such as "No to the militias, or Libya will become a new Afghanistan." In Tripoli, people demonstrated against the parliament and in support of the "National Army." They sang the national anthem and carried banners reading "Yes to dignity" and "Libya is in big trouble, we want the police, we want the army!"
The Fridays of May 23 and 30, 2014, were called "Days of Dignity" by Haftar's supporters (after the offensive Haftar launched a week earlier). Part of the government issued a statement supporting the protests. Within the government itself, there was bitter infighting between the two camps over the post of prime minister. At first, the Islamist camp seemed to prevail with the election of Ahmed Miitig. But then the pro-Haftar camp, with Defense Minister Thenni, gained the upper hand.
June 2014: Parliamentary Election and Fighting in Benghazi
In June 2014, Thenni and his cabinet left Tripoli for al-Baida as the situation in the heated capital became too uncertain. Tarek Mitri, head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, tried to restart talks between the two camps. That same day, Haftar had his air force bomb the positions of his enemies.
In June 2014, Haftar's forces launched various attacks on Benghazi. However, they did not succeed in capturing the city. The United States, on the other hand, succeeded in capturing the suspected Islamist terrorist Ahmed Abu Chatallah using a special commando. On June 22, 2014, General Haftar announced a 48-hour ultimatum in which all citizens of Qatar and Turkey were to leave eastern Libya.
In the midst of this chaos, the 2014 parliamentary elections in Libya took place, which were marked by murders of political opponents. For example, on June 25, 2014, human rights activist Salwa Bughaigis was shot dead in Benghazi. The election was won by the forces around Haftar.
July 2014: Battle for Tripoli and capture of Benghazi by Ansar al-Sharia
In early July 2014, the groups that had not recognized the election results at the end of June or were in opposition to Haftar gathered their troops in the Tripoli countryside and began an offensive on the capital on July 13, 2014, under the code name Fadschr Libia. About a month of fighting took place around the International Airport in the Battle for Tripoli Airport. The fighting was fought with heavy artillery and Grad rocket launchers. The civil war that broke out reached a new dimension with the intervention of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The air forces of both countries supported the government forces (Haftars) in defending Tripoli and bombed "Dawn" positions. The Libyan civil war was now reaching its next stage of escalation and had become a proxy war between regional powers.
At the end of July 2014, the UN evacuated its staff after 13 employees fell victim to the fighting. Most foreign embassies also now withdrew their staff from Tripoli. Mohamed Sowan, spokesman for the Justice and Construction Party (local offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood), welcomed the offensive on the capital. He said it was necessary in response to Haftar's "Operation Dignity" offensive.
Government forces also found themselves on the defensive in Benghazi. Here, Ansar al-Sharia proclaimed an emirate in Libya in July 2014. This emirate later swore allegiance to the "Islamic State" under leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Haftar described the army's withdrawal from Benghazi as a "tactical retreat."
August 2014: Capture of Tripoli by "Dawn".
In August 2014, the Council of Deputies passed a law formally disbanding the insurgent militias in the west. At the same time, the parliament asked the UN for help in dealing with the insurgency in the west.
The city of Darna in the east has now increasingly become another flashpoint in the war. It has been a stronghold of radical Islamists for years. IS supporters formed in the surrounding area and fighting began against Haftar's forces.
On August 12, the police chief of Tripoli was assassinated. On August 17, 2014, initially unidentified - later the Libyan National Army Haftars claimed responsibility - aircraft bombed "Dawn" positions in Tripoli. On August 23, 2014, "Dawn" announced that Tripoli had fallen into its hands after a month of fighting. After the fall of the capital, the militias of "Dawn" began to "settle accounts" with the supporters of General Haftar and the government. Numerous people fell victim to assassinations or kidnappings, including former Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur.
In the midst of this turmoil, Thenni's interim government, which had once fled Tripoli for the east of the country, declared its resignation. Shortly thereafter, this government finally lost control of Tripoli, where armed militiamen blockaded ministries and state buildings.
The Council of Deputies declared the counter-government to be "terrorists. The latter had now reinstated the old parliament as the "New General National Congress" and in turn declared the parliament in Tobruk "illegal". For security reasons, the Council of Deputies met on a Greek ferry near the Egyptian border.
Development by the end of 2014: Formation of a "counter-government" in Tripoli
With the fall of Tripoli, the National Assembly and its government, which fled to Tobruk, lost control of the country's former capital. There, under the influence of local militias, a new government, called the "counter-government," is now forming, as well as its own new parliament - to which the parliament in Tobruk responded with a terrorism law aimed at the "Islamist counter-parliament" in Tripoli. From now on, two governments share control of the country.
In September 2014, "Dawn" (Fajr Libya) expanded its positions in western Libya. On September 15, 2014, the Berber-majority town of Gharyan was the target of airstrikes, according to General Haftar by deploying his forces. U.S. officials, however, blamed the air forces of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
In October 2014, there was heavy fighting around Kikla between "Dawn" and the "Sintan Brigades" allied with Haftar. Now the mountainous region of Jabal Nafusa also became a theater of war. In mid-October 2014, Haftar's forces and the Egyptian Air Force pressed a new offensive on Benghazi.
Fessan has now also become a war zone. Tubu militias, who are close to the government in Tobruk, fought here for oil fields against Tuareg militias allied with the counter-government in Tripoli.
At the end of October 2014, the "IS" offshoot was able to capture Darna. This was the first city that the "Islamic State" was able to bring under its control outside Iraq and Syria. Thereafter, heavy fighting with government forces took place in the surrounding area.
In November 2014, the government was able to recapture Kikla, while the counter-government in Fessan announced the capture of the "El-Sharara" oil field.
The first peace talks between the two parliaments took place in early November 2014. These took place in Sudan after mediation by the government there. Since November 2014, however, there have been more attacks in the areas of both parliaments. Both Tobruk and Tripoli were the target of attacks.
New attacks on Tripoli by General Haftar's air force took place on November 24 and 25, 2014. A court in Tripoli ordered Haftar to be detained as a result. On December 2, 2014, there were further airstrikes by Haftar's forces on the town of Zuwara in western Libya.
In December 2014, demonstrations for the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Libya took place in Tripoli. A constitutional monarchy would end the escalated crisis between the two camps.
At the end of December 2014, "Dawn" began Operation Sunrise with the aim of capturing the major oil loading ports such as Ras Lanuf. This operation was repelled by government forces with the help of the air force, but set fire to the country's largest oil tanks. On December 28, the government forces' air force bombed Misrata. In late December, "Dawn" also launched an attack on Sirte.
January to February 2015 - "Islamic State" offensives in Darna and Sirte
In January 2015, a Greek tanker was bombed off the coast of the (IS-occupied) town of Darna. On January 6, Turkish Airlines became the last foreign airline to cease operations to Libya.
In mid-January, counter-government leader Nuri Busahmein traveled to Turkey for talks and met President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. On January 16, a cease-fire was agreed between Dignity and Dawn. Both sides agreed to further talks under UN mediation.
On January 27, there was an attack on the "Corinthia Hotel" in Tripoli, which killed ten people (including five foreigners). IS later claimed responsibility for the attack.
In early February 2015, "IS" was able to capture an oil field south of Sirte. On February 9, IS media announced that the small town of an-Nufaliya had been captured. Thereupon, an emir had been appointed as the representative of the "caliph" al-Baghdadi. On February 13, Sirte was finally captured as well.
On February 15, a video was released by "IS" showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya. Egyptian air forces then launched retaliatory attacks on Derna and the surrounding area. On February 20, "IS" carried out an attack on Gubba, the home of interim President Aguila Saleh Issa. Forty people were killed in this attack. Both the U.S. government and the two Libyan alliances condemned the attack.
In early February, both governments attempted to obtain weapons from Russia and Ukraine (despite existing UN arms embargoes). Since February, "Dawn" has also had its own air force. Prior to new peace talks, "Dawn" flew airstrikes on the government's oil loading stations. "Dignity" then attacked important counter-government infrastructure facilities such as Mitiga International Airport.
On February 23, 2015, the United Nations stated in a paper that the arms embargo was increasingly permeable and that more and more states were breaking the embargo. Explicitly named were: Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Belarus on the side of the government, and Turkey, Sudan, Qatar and Ukraine on the side of the counter-government.
March 2015: Peace Talks and the Battle for Sirte
General Haftar's appointment as commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Armed Forces (LNA) in early March 2015 led to a further escalation in the civil war. Both sides intensified their airstrikes. Following the escalation of the air war, both alliances met in Morocco to negotiate a peace treaty and a new joint government. Morocco's Islamist-secular coalition government supports the peace process.
After the peace talks, the government applied to the UN to be allowed to buy 150 tanks, 150 infantry fighting vehicles, 10,000 grenade launchers, 1,000 sniper rifles, 8 attack helicopters, 6 combat aircraft, 4 bombers, and several tens of thousands of assault rifles along with ammunition to deal with the "IS" threat. In early March, "IS" had killed eleven Libyan guards and kidnapped nine foreign workers in an attack on an oil field. The request was nevertheless rejected. The two governments are to reach an agreement first before the arms embargo is lifted, he said. Suppliers of the war materials are said to be Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Serbia.
Between February and March 2015, an exodus of Egyptian migrant workers from Libya began. By that time, some 900,000 Egyptian nationals were working in Libya. Many of them then found themselves on the run.
In mid-March 2015, heavy fighting broke out between "Dawn" and "IS" around the port city of Sirte. In February and March, "IS" had continuously expanded its presence around Sirte. According to HRW, illegal cluster bombs were used in the bombardment of Sirte and Ben Jawad. In mid-March, the "IS" offshoot carried out attacks in Tripoli and on barracks in Misrata in "retaliation."
On March 16, 2015, EU foreign ministers discussed a possible new military operation in Libya. In the meantime, "Dawn" is said to be leading around 40,000 fighters into the field.
On March 17, 2015, "Dawn" announced that the leader of Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia) Abu Zakariya al-Tunisi had been killed in the fighting around Sirte. This was later confirmed by "IS" Internet sites. Al-Tunisi was allegedly responsible for the murders of the two Tunisian politicians Chokri Belaïd and Mohamed Brahmi.
On March 18, 2015, the government of Tunisia announced that flights between Tunisia and Tripoli and Misrata were once again permitted. Tunisia had previously sent a consul to Tripoli. The first flight was scheduled to take place on March 19, 2015, between Sfax and Mitiga International Airport.
On the same day, the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation announced that it would no longer accept any instructions from either government. It was "neutral" and there for the Libyans, not to fuel the war. However, the government no longer recognizes the Tripoli-based NOC's board of directors; it appointed its own board and declared business with Tripoli NOC illegal. However, the Tripoli-based official central bank of Libya (which is also recognized by the international community), through which business with the NOC was previously conducted, does not recognize this board, which is based in the destroyed city of Benghazi. However, the government in al-Baida is planning to organize its own central bank and has already appointed its own board chairman for the central bank, who again is not recognized by the Tripoli-based national bank. This entire unclear and completely contradictory legal situation is likely to contribute to Libya's economic decline.
Haftar ordered a massive bombardment of the airport at dawn on March 19, 2015. UNSMIL condemned the attack. New peace talks were actually scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 19, 2015. This was postponed because the counter-government delegation was delayed in traveling to Morocco due to the government's airstrikes.
On this day, when the final peace talks were supposed to be concluded, fighting was reported from various parts of the country. Dawn continues to fight against the "IS" offshoots in Sirte. In the west, there was fighting around az-Zawiya between "Dawn" and the Sintan brigades. In Fessan near the village of Brak, Haftar's forces reported capturing some T-55 and Grad rocket launchers from "Dawn."
March 2015: Second Battle for Tripoli
On Friday, March 20, 2015, Libyan forces launched a massive offensive on Tripoli. The offensive began almost simultaneously as delegations were meeting in Morocco for peace talks. The forces managed to advance as far as al-'Azīziyah. Haftar's press office announced "within hours the liberation of Tripoli." After "Dawn" moved troops from Sirte to Tripoli, this offensive was repulsed. The troops ordered to Tripoli had been fighting "IS" there. UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon condemned the attacks. He said they were activities that were "unacceptable" to the international community. Subsequently, the Libyan Air Force bombed Tripoli and Zuwara airfield several times. This killed an important leader of Fadschr Libya.
In the following weeks, fighting was concentrated in the south of Tripoli, without either side being able to achieve a decisive military breakthrough. The IS offshoots again carried out various attacks on embassies in Tripoli during this time. Starting on April 13, 2015, new peace talks were held in Algeria. Prior to this, the prime minister of the counter-government, al-Hassi, was dismissed. He was accused of being too close to radical Islamist groups.
After the government in Tobruk broke off talks in March 2015, the Council of Deputies voted 64 to 12 in favor of new peace talks.
April/May 2015: Peace talks and refugee tragedies
→ Main article: Refugee crisis in Europe as of 2015
In April 2015, serious refugee tragedies occurred off the coasts of Libya, resulting in hundreds of deaths. With the mediation of the United Nations, new peace talks were held between the two opposing camps. Further, the powerful independent warlords remain an obstacle to an agreement. On May 11, 2015, the government's air force bombed a Turkish freighter off Libya's east coast. While the Turkish government stated that the ship was en route to Tobruk and was carrying plasterboard, the Libyan government stated that the ship was en route to "IS"-occupied [Darna]. The Turkish government condemned the attack.
December 2015: Renewed peace negotiations
In December, two different peace agreements and two different transitional governments were being worked on. While the international community, supported by Libyan actors, prefers its own peace plan, key stakeholders in Libya are seeking their own peace plan and transitional government.
On December 17, 2015, representatives of the two rival governments signed an agreement in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, drafted with the support of the United Nations, to end the conflict. It provides for the formation of a presidential transitional council to ensure the establishment of a unity government under Fayiz as-Saraj within 30 days. In January 2016, however, the parliament in Tobruk rejected a clause in the unification treaty that would have stripped Haftar, the army commander, of his power and refused to approve the unity government.
September 2016
In September 2016, General Haftar's forces captured the four main oil terminals in Libya: Suwaitina, Brega, Ras Lanuf, and Al-Sedra. However, by March 2017, the terminals were stormed and captured by Benghazi brigades. The government from Tripoli under Serraj had also repeatedly announced its intention to capture the important oil terminals.
December 2016: Recapture of Sirte
On December 5, 2016, militias loyal to the government announced the recapture of Sirte from IS. Fighting for the city, which had been in the hands of IS since 2015 and whose domain had expanded to up to 300 kilometers along the coast at its peak, had dragged on for months. The recapture by the internationally recognized government in Tripoli was supported by U.S. air strikes.
End of December 2017: Expiry of the peace agreement
On December 17, 2017, Chalifa Haftar announced on Libya-Alhadath radio that he would not seek an extension and would "follow the will of the people." This was followed by pro-Haftar demonstrations in Tripoli, Benghazi, and al-Chums.
February/March 2019
Khalifa Haftar's forces took over the large Sharara and Feel oil fields in the Murzuk basin in early 2019, with a production capacity of around 430,000 barrels per day. Previously, these had been occupied in December 2018 by members of the Petroleum Facilities Guard and members of the Fezzan Rage movement to protest the neglect of the southern Fessan region.
April/May 2019: Attempt march on Tripoli
On April 4, General Chalifa Haftar announced an offensive on the Libyan capital of Tripoli. After taking a checkpoint south of Tripoli without a fight, the LNA moved into position 27 kilometers south of the capital. Press research later identified supply flights by Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft operated by the "Reem Travel" company, which has owners in the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan, apparently flying at the time to military bases under Haftar's control with stopovers in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. Over Libya, the pilots apparently turned off their transponders, but Haftar's fighters had posted videos online documenting the unloading of the planes at one of his bases. Analysts saw this as evidence of foreign support for the warlord and a sign of an impending proxy war similar to the one in Yemen.
On April 7, Chalifa Haftar's apparent intended coup d'état takeover of the capital failed, and fighting broke out around the capital between militias of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar's LNA militias. The United States and India announced the withdrawal of troop contingents from Tripoli. Russian Federation prevented a UN resolution from being passed in the UN Security Council on April 7 that would have called on Haftar's attacking forces to end the offensive. Russia, conversely, proposed its own resolution that also called on the defenders to stop fighting. Haftar's forces bombed Mitiga Airport on April 8.
By April 20, Haftar's LNA forces had unsuccessfully attempted to overcome the GNA's defenses in southern Tripoli. Targets in Tripoli were repeatedly attacked from the air. According to eyewitnesses, missiles hit a GNA army camp in the southern district of Sabaa on April 20. So far, 227 people have been killed and 1,128 others wounded, according to WHO. On the night of April 27-28, Haftar again let fly bombardments on Tripoli. The number of people killed increased to 400 by a month after the offensive began, with no significant change in the situation; instead, there was destruction in southern Tripoli and 50,000 refugees.
On May 19, militias, who claim to be part of Haftar's LNA, occupied the control station for Tripoli's water supply through the Great Man Made River project and forced the staff to shut off the supply. After two days, supplies were restored; it remained unclear who was responsible for the raid.
Further development in 2019
On June 27, 2019, GNA forces reported they had captured the city of Gharyan. In early July, an airstrike struck a refugee internment camp in Tagiura, killing at least 53 people. Both civil war parties blamed each other. A condemnation of the attack in the UN Security Council failed due to U.S. opposition.
In November, Libyan counterfeit money was seized in two containers, spread over 56 cubic meters. The Times of Malta cited a Russian printing house as the source.
On November 24, a U.S. delegation met with Khalifa Haftar in an effort to bring an end to the offensive. Among other things, the U.S. deplored Russian influence "at the expense of the Libyan people."
On December 26, 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that he would send soldiers to Libya. A law to that effect would be submitted to the Turkish parliament in early January 2020. According to Erdoğan, the Libyan unity government had invited the Turkish troops. Turkey and the unity government had previously concluded an agreement on security and military cooperation, as well as an agreement on maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea, which had met with international criticism.
January 2020: International negotiations to settle the conflict
On January 4, 2020, a drone strike on a military school in Tripoli killed 26 cadets. Haftar's militia captured the Libyan port city of Sirte on January 6, 2020.
After negotiations between Russia and Turkey, Haftar and the unity government agreed on a ceasefire that was to take effect on the morning of January 12, 2020. However, both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire a few hours after it came into effect.
A week later, five years after the start of the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015, in which Libya is considered a transit country for refugees to Europe, and nine years after the start of the civil war in Libya in February 2011, the parties to the conflict with their supporting states decided in an international conference in Berlin on a ceasefire, an arms embargo and a withdrawal of all foreign combat units.
Spring 2020: violation of the arms embargo and terrain gains by the GNA.
After the supply of weapons to both parties by their respective supporting states continued despite international negotiations, the EU decided to use Operation Irini to monitor compliance with the UN arms embargo by monitoring air and sea routes via satellite and naval forces from April 1.
In April 2020, Khalifa Haftar abrogated a UN agreement reached in December 2015 that confirmed the distribution of power in Libya. That same month, mercenaries and militias of Fayiz as-Saraj captured the coastal city of Sabrata, west of Tripoli.
In May 2020, Libyan counterfeit money worth $1.1 billion was seized in Malta. As in November 2019, when a similar incident occurred in Malta, Russia was named as the sender of the money.
On May 18, Haftar's LNA forces lost their main base of the offensive, Al-Watiya airbase. Turkish support, primarily in the form of drones, was seen as crucial to the Government of National Accord's (GNA) terrain gains. In December 2019, for example, Turkey had begun deploying Baykar Technologies drones, which had previously been used against the PYD in Syria, to Libya. In the process, the TB2 pattern was used to attack the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its supply lines. The Russian Pantsir S-1 air defense systems supplied to the LNA by the United Arab Emirates proved insufficient in the fight against the drones.
After a series of defeats in the battle for Tripoli, Haftar's fighters withdrew from Tarhuna, their last base in the west of the country, on June 5, 2020. Within days, Haftar's forces had lost terrain that had previously been fought over for 14 months. The remaining local militias, who had previously allied with Haftar, fled after a brief skirmish with GNA forces. On Sirte, the refuge of Haftar and his remaining fighting units, hostile GNA fighters began an advance in June 2020. Ghassan Salamé, the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), who resigned in March 2020, called the summer 2020 war the largest drone war of that time.
Summer and fall 2020: ceasefire, demonstrations, resignations, dismissals and ceasefire
On August 21, 2020, the GNA and LNA issued separate statements announcing an immediate cease-fire. Two days later, demonstrations began in several Libyan cities, initially targeting deficiencies in electricity and water supplies, crumbling infrastructure, and widespread corruption. Some demonstrators also demanded constitutional elections and a withdrawal from power of the current ruling classes. Protesters gathered in Tripoli's "Martyrs' Square" for several days before demonstrations spread to Misrata and az-Zawiya. The GNA government responded by imposing a curfew, citing COVID-19. Pro-government militias also fired live ammunition at protesters. According to Amnesty International, at least six people were abducted by the pro-government al-Nawasi militia. Libya's head of government al-Sarraj then appointed a new defense minister and a new army chief. The dismissed defense minister, Bashagha, who is supported by militias from Misrata, then traveled to Turkey, which supports both the militias in Tripoli and those in Misrata, for talks. A UN special envoy traveled to Egypt, which supports General Haftar, for talks
At a demonstration on August 23, the pro-government al-Nawazi militia arrested journalist Sami al-Sharif, who reported for the al-Jawhara radio station. The Committee to Protect Journalists and a Libyan civil rights organization demanded his immediate release. The al-Nawazi militia is part of a militia cartel that has controlled large parts of Tripoli since 2017, enriching itself from kidnappings and forged letters of credit, among other activities. It came to power with the tacit acquiescence of UNSMIL and various Western embassies, which hoped for its replacement by a regular presidential guard, but that did not materialize.
In September, demonstrations against the miserable living conditions of the Libyan population also took place in Benghazi and el Merdj in General Haftar's sphere of influence. Forces subordinate to Haftar opened fire on demonstrators in el Merdj. The government of Abdullah Thennis, which was loyal to Haftar, then resigned.
In October 2020, the two parties to the conflict agreed on a ceasefire, which stipulates that all foreign mercenaries will be withdrawn from the country within three months and all remaining combat groups will be integrated into the country's police and army. After al-Sarraji subsequently announced his resignation, he withdrew the announcement for the time being on the advice of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to avoid a "political vacuum."
February and June 2021: New attempt at elections and government formation as well as further international negotiations
On Feb. 5, 2021, representatives of rival power groups elected a new transitional government under UN supervision in Switzerland under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba, a businessman who is assisted by a three-member presidency. The interim government was supported by both Fayiz as-Saraj and Aguila Saleh Issa, but the Eastern Libya Council of Deputies made its support conditional on a positive vote by parliament. It is to prepare for elections set for Dec. 24, 2021.
In June 2021, government representatives from Russia, Turkey, Egypt, and 13 other states pledged at a Libya conference in Berlin to immediately withdraw all non-Libyan combatants from Libya.
