Shelling near a major facility run by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Thursday, has sparked deep concern for the safety of refugees and asylum seekers there.
Heavy shelling overnight on Tuesday which 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.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, raised major concerns on Monday for the safety of civilians and others who are being affected by the uptick in fighting between warring factions across the country, in particular, “migrants and asylum seekers who may find themselves in detention centres close to the main areas of conflict”.
Speaking by phone from Tripoli, Ms. Ribeiro told UN News that the United Nations had called for a “humanitarian truce” to allow emergency services access to newly-affected areas under fire.