Ghassan Salame, the UN envoy for Libya, has warned that the battle for Tripoli is “just the start of a long and bloody war.” He has called out for immediate steps to cut off arms flows fuelling the fighting between eastern Libyan forces commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Fayez Al Sarraj’s internationally-recognized government for Libya’s capital Tripoli.
While addressing the Security Council on Tuesday, Salame pointed out that other countries are sending arms shipments to Libyan factions.
“The violence on the outskirts of Tripoli is just the start of a long and bloody war on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, imperiling the security of Libya’s immediate neighbors and the wider Mediterranean region,” Salame said, reported BBC.
He said arms were openly pouring into all sides and if no immediate measures are taken to stop the flow of arms then Libya will soon descend into a civil war.
Salame called out for the formation of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate if those sanctioned by the UN were fighting for either side.
He called for International Human Rights Law application owing to increased night air strikes on residential areas. He also warned that the east is making numerous attempts to illegally export oil.
He concluded emphasizing the mantra of ‘‘there is no military solution’’ in Libya is a fact due to Libya’s makeup and not just an oft repeated cliché.
The battle for Tripoli began early last month when Haftar’s forces launched a war in a bid to capture the capital, where the internationally recognized government is based. He has his power base in the east of the country where he is allied to a rival government.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 510 people have been killed and More than 75,000 people have fled their homes in the latest fighting.
