Ghassan Salame, the United Nations’ envoy to Libya, on Wednesday, said he is hoping the ongoing tension in Libya would come to hold and the two warring parties would come to the negotiating table before the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early May.
“I hope that the contacts we have established or re-established among the two belligerents can bear fruit before the holy month of Ramadan,” Salame said during a press conference with Italy’s foreign minister that aired on the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Hadath, reported Euro News.
He said de-escalation in Libya is possible if new weapons are barred from reaching Libya, where Commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) are waging an offensive on the capital, Tripoli, the base of the UN-backed Fayez Al Sarraj’s internationally-recognized government.
Salame is currently on a visit to Rome as part of his attempt to visit some countries in order to reach a ceasefire in Libya.
In related news, the United Nations refugee agency reportedly evacuated 325 refugees from the Qaser Ben Gasheer detention center located on Tripoli’s southern outskirts amid escalating violence near the Libyan capital.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) said the rescued refugees were transported to the Azzawya detention center, where they are at reduced risk of being caught up in ongoing fighting between renegade Haftar’s eastern forces and troops loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
“The dangers for refugees and migrants in Tripoli have never been greater than they are at present,” said Matthew Brook, UNHCR Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya. “It is vital that refugees in danger can be released and evacuated to safety.”
The refuge relocation work was carried out with support from the Libyan authorities, UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
