Libya Fighting Leaves More Than 140,000 People Displaced: UN
More than 140,000 people have fled conflict areas in Libya since fighting among feuding militias started weeks ago, the United Nations said, as the world body, European Union and 13 nations called for an immediate cease-fire.
The rapidly deteriorating security situation is causing new waves of displacement, particularly on the western outskirts of the capital, Tripoli, and in the eastern city of Benghazi, where fighting has killed dozens of people, according to a joint statement from the UN Refugee Agency and its World Food Programme.
A communique issued yesterday on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting by the UN, EU, the U.S. and 12 European, Middle Eastern and North African states also calls for Libyas warring factions to participate in a UN-sponsored dialogue beginning Sept. 29.
The document also rejects outside interference in the conflict and calls on the interim Libyan government and legislature to adopt inclusive policies to benefit all Libyans. The group agreed to meet again in the coming weeks in Algeria, and to reconvene in Madrid in 60 days to assess progress.
Rival militias have been fighting for more than seven weeks in the worst unrest since 2011, when an uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi. Since then the country has slid into chaos as armed militias defy central control, while deep political divisions have led to the emergence of two rival parliaments and governments.
The Libyan UN mission said that agreeing on a plan for a handover of power from the outgoing legislature to the newly elected one would be one of the main topics of the initial talks.
A UN convoy arrived in western Libya on Sept. 20, bringing food and humanitarian supplies for those displaced by the fighting in Tripoli, according to the aid agencies. Most displaced Libyans live in schools and host communities, placing a growing strain on those supporting them, they said.
The renewed violence has caused prices of food and basic items such as cooking fuel and wheat flour to double. Humanitarian agencies are struggling to access areas affected by the conflict, with roadblocks preventing the delivery of food and medical supplies.
To contact the reporter on this story: Salma El Wardany in Cairo at selwardany@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net Ben Holland, John Walcott
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Libya Fighting Leaves More Than 140,000 People Displaced: UN