"The Libyan embassy in Cairo announces to Libyan citizens and the Libyan diaspora in the sister Arab Republic of Egypt that it has suspended its work for security reasons beginning on December 15 until further notice", the diplomatic mission said in a statement released on its Facebook page on 14 December.
On 14 December, following the statement by the Egyptian speaker, Libya’s High Council of State advising the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) slammed Cairo for denying it recognition in favour of its eastern-based rival.
14 December 2019, 22:24 GMT
The statement was made in the wake of the recent call by Germany, France and Italy for a halt in hostilities in Libya and a return to negotiations under UN auspices. The countries reaffirmed on 13 December their support for the UN and its special envoy, Ghassan Salame, and stressed that long-term peace in Libya is possible only with a political settlement.
Libya has suffered from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and killed. The country’s east is now controlled by the parliament and its allied Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, while the west is governed by the UN-backed GNA. In April, the situation deteriorated when the LNA launched an offensive to take control of Tripoli.
