United Nations Chief Condemns Escalating Violence In Libya

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to violence in Libya in accordance with a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement.

According to a health ministry toll, at least 39 people have been killed and some 100 injured in five days of clashes among rival militias, which broke out Monday in suburbs south of Tripoli.

The UN chief gave the condemnation in a statement released by his office on Saturday.

“The Secretary-General condemns the continued escalation of violence in and around Libya’s capital and, in particular, the use by armed groups of indiscriminate shelling leading to the death and injury of civilians, including children.

“The Secretary-General calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and abide by the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United Nations and the Reconciliation Committees,” the statement read.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.