UN condemns Libya violence, urges restraint

The United Nations mission in Libya has denounced the recent wave of violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, calling for maximum restraint in the country.

On Saturday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) urged an immediate end to the bloodshed in the North African country, calling on all to take constructive measures to establish security.

“The Mission affirms the right to peaceful protest and the right of people to express their views freely, stressing that attacks against civilians and endangering their lives are acts that are totally rejected,” UNSMIL said in a statement.

“The Mission urges Libyans to exercise maximum restraint and resort to peaceful means to resolve their differences,” the statement added.

Reports say over 40 people have been killed and over 400 others injured in two days of deadly clashes between protesters and militiamen across Tripoli.

The violence in the capital broke out on Friday when gunmen opened fire on hundreds of protesters carrying white flags in the southern district of Gharghour where the Misrata militia has its headquarters.

Also on Saturday, fresh clashes erupted in the eastern suburb of the capital.

Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has called for a ceasefire and urged all the militias to leave Tripoli.

Nearly two years after the fall of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a popular revolution, Libya is still plagued by lawlessness and insecurity, with armed groups flexing their muscles.

Over the past few months, the capital city of Tripoli and its suburbs have been also hit by violent clashes between rival militias who participated in the 2011 uprising.

Residents of Tripoli frequently demonstrate against militias. The former rebels refuse to lay down their arms, despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.