BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) - The Latest on the situation in Libya (all times local):
8:40 p.m.
The United Nations says that “unfortunately” it has received “no positive news” in response to its urgent appeal for forces backing the Libyan government and the self-styled Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Hifter to observe a two-hour humanitarian truce.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Monday that the truce is “imperative” to ensure that civilians trapped in fighting in Tripoli can escape to safer areas and the wounded can be evacuated.
Dujarric said U.N. humanitarian officials report that the escalation of violence in and around Tripoli has forced some 3,400 people to flee the fighting and blocked emergency services from reaching casualties and civilians.
He said the clashes are “affecting residential areas, and an unknown number of civilians are unable to flee these locations.”
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7:50 p.m.
The U.N. envoy for Libya has condemned an airstrike by the self-styled Libyan National Army that targeted the only functional airport in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Ghassan Salame said in a statement on Monday that the attack on Mitiga airport was “a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
He has asked for “an immediate halt to any further air operations” in order to bring the country back from the brink of what he called “the effective start of a civil war.”
The airport, which is run by the U.N.-backed government, reported that a fighter jet attacked the facility, and that all flights to and from the airport were suspended until further notice.
The LNA, led by the military commander Khalifa Hifter, began its push to seize the capital last week.
The U.N. says clashes between rival militias have displaced 2,800 people.
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7:00 p.m.
An international aid group is voicing concerns over the safety of migrants held in detention centers in the Libyan capital amid increased fighting between rival armed groups for control of Tripoli.
Craig Kenzie, project coordinator in Tripoli for Doctors Without Borders, warned Monday that detained migrants and refugees “are exceptionally vulnerable” because they “are currently trapped in a war zone.”
He says more than 600 migrants, including women and children, are stuck in a detention center in the Ain Zara neighborhood in Tripoli.
The fighting for Tripoli erupted last week when the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, began an offensive against the capital, clashing with rival militias that support the U.N.-backed government.
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5:25 p.m.
The United Nations health organization has decried the killing of two doctors who died treating civilians amid fighting between armed groups in Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
Ahmed Al Mandhari, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement Monday that the targeting of doctors was “unacceptable.” He said the doctors were killed trying to “evacuate wounded patients from conflict areas,” and that attacking medical workers “worsens the situation for civilians caught up in conflict.”
According to the WHO, there have been over 46 attacks on health workers and facilities in Libya since the beginning of 2018, killing eight health workers and patients, and injuring 24.
Fighting has escalated Monday in Tripoli after forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Hifter, based in Libya’s east, have launched an attack to take the capital from the U.N.-backed government.
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5:00 p.m.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called on all sides in the escalating Libyan military conflict to stop fighting and start talking.
Federica Mogherini said Monday that European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg were united in their call for a truce.
Mogherini says all sides in the recent surge in fighting should “go back to the negotiating table under the auspices of the U.N. and make sure that the Libyan people get what they really want, which is peace and stability for their country.”
The U.N. says that fighting over Libya’s capital that erupted last week has already displaced 2,800 people. The death toll has risen to 49, including civilians.
Libya is a departure point for many refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
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4:45 p.m.
The only functional airport in the Libyan capital has announced it was hit by an airstrike amid clashes between rival armed groups for control of Tripoli. No casualties were reported.
The official Facebook page of the Mitiga airport said a fighter jet attacked the facility on Monday. There were no other details.
A video circulated online shows a fighter jet firing and allegedly targeting the airport. The facility, located 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of the city center, originally functioned as a military base.
The fighting for Tripoli erupted last week when the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, began an offensive against the capital, clashing with rival militias that support the U.N.-backed government.
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2:50 p.m.
The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Libya says 2,800 people have been displaced by fighting between rival militias over the capital, Tripoli.
Maria do Valle Ribeiro said Monday that clashes have prevented emergency services from reaching casualties and civilians, and have damaged electricity lines.
She warned that the increased violence is worsening the situation for migrants held in Tripoli’s detention centers.
Fighting was underway Monday at the international airport, some 24 kilometers (15 miles) from central Tripoli.
The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, began an offensive against the capital last week.
Rival militias that support the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli have vowed to recapture all the areas recently seized by Hifter’s forces.
The two sides reported that at least 41 people, including civilians, had been killed since Thursday.
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