The ceasefire agreement, which was obtained through international mediation, was welcomed by the parties to the conflict in Libya. Russia and Turkey are said to be the initiators of this agreement, which entered into force on January 12. The Turkish presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin, had taken the initiative to call on the rival camps to cease hostilities. Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who heads eastern Libya and has been trying to take Tripoli since April, was, according to observers, the first to declare a cease-fire. His rival Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Government of national unity, GNA, based in Tripoli and recognized by the international community announced a few hours later that he too accepted a cessation of hostilities.
