UN condemns attacks on civilian areas in Libya's Tripoli

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The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday condemned attacks on civilian areas and institutions in the Libyan capital Tripoli, which is witnessing violent battles between the UN-backed government forces and the eastern-based army.

"UNSMIL warns that the bombing of schools, hospitals, ambulances and civilian areas is strictly prohibited by International Humanitarian Law," the Mission said in a statement.

"The mission is monitoring and documenting all acts of war that violate this law in order to brief the Security Council and the International Criminal Court," the statement added.

Members of Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar get ready before heading out of Benghazi to reinforce the troops advancing to Tripoli, in Benghazi, Libya, April 13, 2019. /Reuters photo

On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said a total number of eight attacks on medical workers and vehicles took place so far since the violence began in Tripoli.

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign against the government in the capital Tripoli since earlier this month, attempting to take over the city.

The fighting killed and injured hundreds of people, and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

The army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, is allied with the eastern-based government, as the country is politically divided between western and eastern governments.

Khalifa Haftar walks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, April 14, 2019. /Reuters photo

Haftar met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Sunday over the latest developments in war-torn Libya, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

"President Sisi stressed Egypt's support for the efforts of counter-terrorism and fighting the extremist groups and militants to achieve security and stability in Libya," Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement.

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, resulting in splitting power between two rival governments in the northwestern city of Tripoli and the northeastern city of Tobruk respectively.

(Cover image: Damage to a school is seen after an airstrike by the eastern forces military aircraft in Zara district in Tripoli, Libya, April 13, 2019. /Reuters photo)

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency