The United Nations Secretary-General asked all Libyan parties to stop military action and end the “verbal clash” between the rival governments.
At a press conference held on Thursday in Tripoli, Guterres said he was surprised with the military moves westwards in recent days, which arrived around 80 kilometers south of the capital.
Current conditions in Libya may prevent the convening of the National Forum to be held mid-month, and the United Nations remains committed to the organization of the talks, but must be held in a better atmosphere.
He said the U.N. would “remain available to facilitate any political solution able to unify the Libyan institutions. Whatever happens, the U.N. will remain committed, and I will remain committed to support the Libyan people,” he added, emphasizing that “Libyans deserve peace, security, prosperity, and the respect of their human rights.”
Guterres then flew to eastern Libya’s Benghazi, in the hopes of helping avert military clashes between forces loyal to the internationally-recognized government, and those loyal to Commander Khalifa Haftar, who leads the Libyan National Army (LNA), and controls the eastern region through a parallel administration.
“There is no military solution for the Libyan crisis, only a political one,” the U.N. Chief said on Twitter.
He also described how he had been “moved and shocked” after visiting a detention center for refugees and migrants in Tripoli on Thursday.
“[I was] shocked by the level of suffering, and especially by the level of despair that I found. This is, of course, not only a responsibility for Libya, it’s a responsibility for the whole of the international community”, he added.
