CAIRO, January 12. /TASS/. Units of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord have violated the ceasefire several times since its declaration, commander of the Western district of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Mabrouk al-Gazavi stated.

"These formations have violated the ceasefire in various areas, using all types of weapons, including the artillery," he said, quoted by Afrigatenews portal. "We still follow the orders given to us before midnight. We await further instructions."

Earlier, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari informed that the LNA had declared a ceasefire in the western part of the country starting midnight on Sunday local time (01:00 Moscow time). "The Libyan army declares a ceasefire in the western region starting 00:01 January 12," the statement informs. "The ceasefire will remain in place as long as the other side adheres to it. In case of any violations, the response will be tough."

On the outcomes of the January 8 meeting in Istanbul, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on all sides to the Libyan conflict to declare a ceasefire starting midnight January 12.

Libya crisis

Currently, Libya has two supreme executive authorities, namely the internationally recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the interim government of Abdullah al-Thani, seated in the east of the country, alongside the parliament, which is supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. On December 12, 2019, Haftar announced the launch of a win-the-war offensive against Tripoli, aiming to eradicate terrorist groups operating there.

On January 2, Turkey’s parliament approved a bill that would allow the government to send troops to Libya. This step sparked a wave of criticism across the region. On January 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the beginning of Turkish troops’ deployment to Libya. Erdogan pointed out that the force would be "tasked with carrying out coordination actions" and with "ensuring the security of [Libya's] legitimate government," but would not be involved in fighting. On Tuesday, Libya’s Government of National Accord confirmed that the first group of Turkish service members had arrived in Tripoli.