UN condemns Benghazi escalation, calls for Libya ceasefire
UN condemns Benghazi escalation, calls for Libya ceasefire
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has condemned the military escalation in Benghazi over the weekend, calling for warring parties to implement an immediate ceasefire.
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Many civilians have been killed or wounded in the fighting in Benghazi [AFP]
The UN Support Mission in Libya [UNSMIL] condemned the escalating military situation in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Sunday calling for an immediate ceasefire.
It also urged for those involved to give political dialogue a chance to end the country's conflict.
The airstrikes are "a clear attempt to undermine and derail the ongoing efforts to end the conflict" at a time when the negotiations currently taking place in Skhirat, Morocco, have entered "a final and most critical stage", the UN said, referring to the escalating military situation on Saturday.
The UN said a solution could only be achieved "within the framework of the ongoing dialogue process" and that it needed to be "a political settlement that ensures inclusion, balance and consensus".
"The parties in Libya now have a historic opportunity to reach such an agreement that brings an end to the divisions and suffering, and allows for a new page to be turned in Libya", it continued.
A large number of civilians have been killed or wounded in the fighting in Benghazi and more than 100,000 have been displaced.
The conflict has gone on for over a year reducing many neighbourhoods to rubble.
"UNSMIL calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Benghazi and across Libya, and on the warring parties to desist from any escalation or counterattack and to exercise utmost restraint to give the ongoing dialogue in Skhirat the chance to successfully conclude in the coming hours," the UN said.
It also urged for those involved to give political dialogue a chance to end the country's conflict.
The airstrikes are "a clear attempt to undermine and derail the ongoing efforts to end the conflict" at a time when the negotiations currently taking place in Skhirat, Morocco, have entered "a final and most critical stage", the UN said, referring to the escalating military situation on Saturday.
The UN said a solution could only be achieved "within the framework of the ongoing dialogue process" and that it needed to be "a political settlement that ensures inclusion, balance and consensus".
"The parties in Libya now have a historic opportunity to reach such an agreement that brings an end to the divisions and suffering, and allows for a new page to be turned in Libya", it continued.
A large number of civilians have been killed or wounded in the fighting in Benghazi and more than 100,000 have been displaced.
The conflict has gone on for over a year reducing many neighbourhoods to rubble.
"UNSMIL calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Benghazi and across Libya, and on the warring parties to desist from any escalation or counterattack and to exercise utmost restraint to give the ongoing dialogue in Skhirat the chance to successfully conclude in the coming hours," the UN said.
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