Libyan Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, denounced the recent clashes between armed militias in the capital of Tripoli, saying the violence intimidate citizens and endanger their lives and property.
According to Parliament Spokesperson, Abdullah Blehaig, Saleh offered his condolences to the families of the victims of these clashes.
The Parliament Speaker called on the parties that these armed groups are affiliated with, to take responsibility for these unfortunate events.
On Saturday, the Libyan Ministry of Health (MoH) said that at least 16 people were killed and 52 others were injured in overnight fighting between armed groups in Tripoli.
Both groups involved in this week’s fighting are nominally loyal to Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba’s Government of National Unity (GNU), appointed last year as part of a United Nations (UN)-backed peace process to end more than a decade of violence in oil-rich Libya.
The UN Secretary General’s Adviser to Libya has expressed her outrage about the violence that erupted in Tripoli on Friday, as civilians, including women and children at a wedding celebration were killed during the clashes.
She said on Friday that the indiscriminate use of weapons in a heavily populated, urban area without safeguarding civilians is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a sanctionable offense.
“The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is deeply concerned about these developments and calls for an investigation into the incident and justice for the victims and their families. Any action that endangers the lives of civilians is unacceptable,” the UN mission said in a statement on Friday.
“All actors must exercise maximum restraint, address their disputes through dialogue and abide by their obligations under national and international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it concluded.
The mission has called on all Libyans to do everything possible to preserve the country’s fragile stability at this sensitive time.