Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday held a phone call in which they stressed the need for Libya's feuding factions to adhere to a ceasefire.

Libya has been dogged by war since December 2011, and the situation heightened in early 2019 when rebel General Khalifa Hafter pledged to take over Tripoli from the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

Hafter announced in early December a final push to take over the capital from al-Sarraj's government, unleashing heavy clashes on the southern edges of the city.

"During an exchange of opinions on the situation in Libya, they (President Putin and Chancellor Merkel) stressed that the conflict sides must adhere to the ceasefire regime and implement the decisions of the Berlin conference that took place in January of this year," the Kremlin Press service said.

Since 2011, the Libyan war has killed thousands and displaced millions as militant groups and human trafficking cells sought to impose their command in various regions across the country.

Haftar and al-Sarraj met in January in Germany under the auspices of various world leaders including Chancellor Merkel, President Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as representatives of Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and China.

The meeting resolved to instill a ceasefire in the North African country and also called upon foreign powers to refrain from interfering in Libya's affairs.

Source(s): TASS Russian News Agency