Rival Libyan leaders agree to a conditional ceasefire, national elections

Libyan factions agree to ceasefire, could hold spring elections: Rival Libyan leaders Prime Minister Fayez Al-Serraj and General Khalifa Haftar agreed yesterday to a conditional ceasefire and to hold elections in the spring under UN supervision, Reuters reports. The agreement came after peace talks in Paris brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron’s mediation has drawn the ire of critics and allies alike, including Italy, which “sees Libya, its former colony, as part of its sphere of influence,” Bloomberg says. Analysts also “warned the French intervention could only make the situation in Libya worse by giving legitimacy to General Haftar,” who commands eastern Libya, according to the Financial Times. Haftar is a staunch Cairo ally.