Credit: Wikipedia / A police car burns on 16 February 2011, at the crossroads of At-Talhi,  Libya now known as the Crossroads of the Spark. Libya has been engulfed in violence and civil strife ever since overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi  in 2011 and his subsequent death.

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Heavy shelling overnight on Tuesday which reportedly hit a densely-populated neighbourhood of Libya’s capital, Tripoli, was condemned “in the strongest terms” by the head of the UN Mission there, after “scores” of civilians were reportedly killed and injured.   Libya erupted into deadly civil strife when warlord Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to take the city from the U.N.-backed government April 4.  Haftar, leader of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls much of eastern and southern Libya, has waged a two-week military campaign to take Tripoli from fighters loyal to the UN-recognized Government.  “UN Special Representative Ghassan Salame condemned in the strongest terms the overnight shelling, recalling that responsibility for actions that may constitute war crimes lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially those who ordered them,”   UN Secretary General António Guterres spokesperson said at the  world headquarters Wednesday.

Horrible night of random shelling of residential areas. For the sake of 3 million civilians living in Greater Tripoli, these attacks should stop. NOW!

— Ghassan Salame (@GhassanSalame) April 17, 2019

Leader Of Libyan National Army controls much of eastern and southern Libya

Credit: wikipedia /  Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA)

UN envoy Salamé renewed his call for international unity to spare Libya from the devastating consequences of a civil war, according to UNSG spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.    “In the past 24 hours we’ve also seen the highest single-day increase in displacement, with more than 4,500 people displaced, and that’s according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  This brings the total number of people forced out of their homes to 25,000,”  Dujarric said.

Wherever access allows, humanitarian partners continue to respond to the rapidly increasing needs through the provision of humanitarian support, the spokesperson added.  A request that was made Tuesday for a temporary ceasefire to allow for the safe and voluntary exit of civilians from the conflict areas did not materialize, the spokesperson disclosed.  “Civilians trapped in conflict areas are reportedly running low on basic food items as well as fuel and experiencing prolonged electricity and water cuts. The humanitarian community continues to call on all parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”