The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced Wednesday that the third round of Libya truce talks had begun, aiming at stopping violence in the oil-rich North African country.

The Libya civil war seems to have reached a turning point as two sides returned to the negotiation table after the UN recognized that the Tripoli government has finally retaken full control of the capital while its rival is suffering heavy losses.

Although most involved foreign players have called for a ceasefire and a political settlement, the war is nowhere near the end.

Backgrounder: How did we get here?

- Who is fighting whom?

Since the ouster and killing of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libyan factions have been engaged in a civil war that escalated in 2014.

The UN-recognized Tripoli government under Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), has been fighting against the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar. Backed by the parliament, LNA is based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

- Who controls which area?

The LNA retreated in the last three weeks from its position near Tripoli and slowed down its advance into the strategic city of Sirte. The GNA recaptured the capital. 

There is a sense of déjà vu as their positioning is similar to two years ago: the GNA captures the populous northwest region and the LNA controls the east.

With a dividing line on the northern shore at Sirte, the two sides are standing off by the nearly midpoint of Libya's Mediterranean coastline.

- Who is supporting whom?

Foreign actors who are attracted by Libya, due to the country's rich oil resources and its unique location as a sea gate to Europe, have taken their sides and entangled the conflicts.

Turkey, Qatar, Italy support the GNA, while Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France are on the side of LNA.

U.S. supported GNA's creation in later 2015 but since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, his administration role in Libya is not clear.

Where is the country heading?

- What efforts has the international community been making?

The past two rounds UN-hosted Libya truce talks have been scuppered by a new round of conflagration.

Several international conferences with the participation of world powers and regional actors– in Paris, Abu Dhabi, and Palermo – also sought to find a political solution and stabilize the situation in line with relevant UN resolutions with limited success.

The UN has reiterated that foreign involvement in Libya must be stopped and placed an arm embargo on Libya in 2011. However, the arms embargo continues to be violated.

After meeting with Haftar, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on June 6 proposed the "Cairo Declaration," calling for a cease-fire in Libya on June 8, talks in Geneva, a the election of a leadership council, the disbanding of militias, and the exit of all foreign fighters from Libya.

GNA did not attend the meeting in Cairo and kept silent to the new offer, while turkey and EU said the new proposal is "unacceptable."

- Will GNA's recapture of Tripoli change the status quo?

Experts pointed out although the GNA won a military victory this time, it is still not easy for them to consolidate power and capture LNA's sphere of influence.

Over the past nine years, the scenario is always the same: a pause, re-grouping, political talks, new armed group alliances, and another battle.

Wang Jinyan, an associate research fellow at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) noted the GNA is now growing in the battlegrounds, making it not likely to nod to a cease-fire deal, and even if they reach a deal it can be easily violated, just like it happened several times before.

He also said the LNA's recent defeat is the result of Turkey's expanding military support to the GNA.

Noting that Turkey is currently facing internal and external difficulties, Wang believed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regards support to the GNA as the last stand to transfer domestic pressure and would go all out. 

Meanwhile, the LNA's foreign backers are likely to step up their support in order to counter Turkey's operation in the region.

Wang added that since the Libya civil war has been reduced to a proxy war, as long as the essence of the problem remains unchanged, the situation won't improve.

However, there is still a chance of peace over concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Libya has reported at least 359 coronavirus cases, including five deaths.