REPORT AT A GLANCE
Months since Khalifa Haftar’s forces, the Libyan National Army (LNA), began their assault on Tripoli, they were pushed back towards the east of Libya by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) following the intervention of Turkish affiliated militias. On a strategic level, focus has shifted once more to the central coastal town of Sirte, whose access to Libya’s economically crucial oil fields, and geopolitical placement equidistant between Tripoli and Benghazi, has seen it receive a comparatively large amount of international interest. Sirte is no stranger to conflict, being the final outpost of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as well as the center of the Libyan activities of the terror group Islamic State in 2014 and 2015
KEY TAKEAWAYS
> A ceasefire agreement has been announced between the GNA and the House of Representatives which has been welcomed by key international players. Khalifa Haftar has rejected this ceasefire call.
>The announcement comes as many cities in western Libya are experiencing protests against the administration of the GNA.
> Aguila Saleh, speaker of the HoR, has proposed Sirte as the site of a new temporary government, though this has not been agreed to by all parties.
> Many outstanding issues and spoilers remain in the push for a permanent peace in Libya.