Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (2rd R), Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias (1st L), French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (2nd L) and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides attend a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 8, 2020. The foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Greece and Cyprus described as "invalid" the two deals signed between Turkey and Libya's UN-backed government on maritime boundaries delimitation and security, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The foreign ministers met in Cairo on Wednesday and agreed in a concluding statement that the Turkish deals signed in November with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Serraj violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions and contradict the international law. Photo:Xinhua

Both sides in Libya's conflict agreed to a cease-fire that started early Sunday following weeks of international diplomacy and calls for a truce by power brokers Russia and Turkey.

The oil-rich African country has been wracked by bloody turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Since April last year, the Tripoli-based, UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) has been under attack from forces loyal to eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar, which days ago advanced to take the strategic coastal city of Sirte.

Late Saturday Haftar forces announced a cease-fire starting at the stroke of midnight (Sunday 00:00 local time, Saturday 22:00 GMT) in line with a joint call by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Early Sunday the head of the GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, also announced an agreement to the cease-fire, saying it had taken effect at the start of Sunday.

Sarraj stressed the GNA's "legitimate right ... to respond to any attack or aggression" that may come from the other side - just as Haftar forces had warned of a "severe" response to any violation by the "opposing camp."

Artillery fire could be heard shortly after midnight from the center of the capital, before quiet settled over the southern Tripoli suburb where pro-GNA forces have been resisting Haftar's offensive launched on April 4, 2019.

Erdogan and Putin had called for a cease-fire at a meeting on Wednesday in Istanbul, and Turkey on Saturday asked Russia to convince Haftar, who had initially vowed to fight on, to respect it.

Europe and North Africa have launched a diplomatic offensive to try to prevent Libya, with the increased involvement of international players in its conflict, from turning into a "second Syria." European governments are concerned that Islamist militants and migrant smugglers, already highly active in Libya, will take further advantage of the chaos.