On 14 January, German Chancelor Angela Merkel announced the organisation on 19 January of the international conference dedicated to the Libyan crisis referred to as the “Berlin Conference”. Germany had announced its intention hold the conference in September 2019, but the event was delayed. The precise cause for the delay remains unclear, most likely due to divisions between the international community and local actors on how to proceed with such an event. Since September 2019, in the context of the persisting tensions in Tripoli between Government of National Accord (GNA) forces and Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, the Libyan crisis has been a subject of deep divisions within the international community as international actors took sides in the conflict. The announcement by Chancelor Merkel follows the news that the attempt by Turkey and Russia to foster a cease-fire agreement between the GNA and the LNA fell through on 13 January. Indeed, Turkey and Russia had issued a joint call for a cease-fire, and invited both GNA Al-Sarraj and LNA Haftar in Moscow to discuss and sign the deal. However, reports suggest that Khalifa Haftar walked away from the deal as it did not encompass certain conditions he regards as non-negotiable.
