Arafat Hasan: The US, UK, France and Italy have called for an immediate end to deadly violence that has erupted in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
A joint statement said attempts “to weaken the legitimate Libyan authorities and hinder the ongoing political process are not acceptable”.
“We are calling on the armed groups to immediately stop all military action and warn those who seek to undermine stability, in Tripoli or elsewhere in Libya, that they will be made accountable for it,” the joint statement added.
Recently, at least 39 people, including civilians, have died in rival militia clashes in Tripoli. Militias occupy rest of the country while a UN-backed government remains in power in the capital,.
Violence broke out last week on Monday when militias from a city south of Tripoli attacked the city’s southern areas, leading to fighting with local militias backing the internationally recognized government, the Government of National Accord (GNA).
The GNA’s health ministry said on Friday that at least 39 people had been killed, including a Malian national who was killed by shelling on his home. Dozens of other people are reported to have been wounded.
Human Rights Watch condemned the violence and said that at least 18 of the dead were civilians, among them four children.
Hundreds of migrants trapped by the fighting have been moved to other detention centres, while the city’s airport was closed for two days on Friday.
Libya has been facing continuous chaos since NATO-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.
-Source: BBC