Libya's two warring factions signed a "permanent" ceasefire agreement across the country on Friday following five days of talks at the United Nations in Geneva, the UN's Libya mission said.
The accord, concluded after talks between military representatives of Fayez al-Sarraj's Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar, will be followed by political discussions in Tunisia next month.
"The 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission talks in Geneva today culminate in a historic achievement as Libyan teams reach a permanent ceasefire agreement across Libya. This achievement is an important turning point towards peace and stability in Libya," UNSMIL said on its Facebook page, which showed a live stream of the signing ceremony.
“The road to a permanent ceasefire deal was often long and difficult,” Williams said in Arabic at the ceremony.
“Before us is a lot of work in the coming days and weeks in order to implement the commitments of the agreement," she said. “It is essential to continue work as quickly as possible in order to alleviate the many problems due to this conflict facing the Libyan people."
“We have to give people hope of a better future,” Williams added. She expressed hope the agreement will succeed “in ending the suffering of Libyans and allowing those displaced by the conflict to return to their homes.”
The meetings this week mark the fourth round of talks involving the Joint Military Commission under Williams' watch. The Geneva-based military talks come ahead of a political forum in Tunisia in November. That forum aims to “generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to the holding of national elections,” the UN mission said.
On Wednesday, Williams had said the two warring factions agreed on issues that “directly impact the lives and welfare of the Libyan people," citing agreements to open air and land routes in the country, to work to ease inflammatory rhetoric in Libyan media, and to help kickstart Libya’s vital oil industry.
