Egypt on Saturday unveiled a plan to end the years-long civil war in Libya, in an initiative accepted by the commander of the Libyan eastern forces that have suffered heavy losses in recent weeks.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi announced the plan in Cairo, alongside Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Agila Saleh, the chief of Libya's allied elected parliament.

El-Sissi told a news conference that the proposed plan, which he called the "Cairo Declaration" includes a ceasefire starting on Monday and the departure of foreign militias from Libya.

Election pathway

El-Sissi added that the plan also aims to pave the way for elections in the North African country and that it would encourage a "return of normal life" in Libya and also warned against continuing to look for a military solution to the conflict.

Read more: European states urge 'humanitarian truce' in Libya

Haftar's LNA has recently suffered significant military setbacks at the hands of the GNA, which is allied with Turkey and Qatar -- Egypt's regional rivals.