UN mission condemns attacks on Libyan security personnel, civilians

The United Nations mission in Libya today voiced deep concern about ongoing violence across the country and condemned attacks on security personnel and civilians.

The violence targets mainly personnel of various security entities and aims at undermining efforts to maintain peace and build State security institutions, according to a news release issued by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The Mission condemned the “brutal” attack on members of the Judicial Police in the suburbs of Tripoli, and the repeated assassinations and targeting of army and police personnel as well as civilian demonstrators in Benghazi.

“UNSMIL calls on the authorities to take an immediate firm stance against perpetrators of such crimes and to put an end to the lawlessness,” the Mission stated.

Libya, which has been undergoing a democratic transition since the toppling of the regime of former leader Muammar al-Qadhafi three years ago, has been grappling with a deteriorating security situation.

In March, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNSMIL, Tarek Mitri, told the Security Council that the first three months of the year had witnessed a “dramatic” increase in violence across the country, including a campaign of targeted assassinations, bombings and abductions in Benghazi that had reached “intolerable” levels.