Mr. President,
10. In the east, renewed military confrontations in Benghazi threaten to exact an increasingly heavier toll on the civilian population. In the west, an unrelenting campaign of indiscriminate shelling continues to target large sections of the Warshafana area near Tripoli, causing untold suffering on the part of the civilian population. Tens of thousands of civilians are now known to have fled their homes; many have also lost their lives as a result of the shelling including women and children. We also have credible reports of severe shortages of medical supplies. Our appeals for an immediate halt to military operations have gone unheeded, as have our calls for urgent humanitarian access.
11. Efforts aimed at resolving the current crisis and resuming the political process cannot make progress against the backdrop of continued fighting. Despite repeated calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, including from the Security Council, the situation on the ground remains extremely volatile and precarious. I continue to remind all concerned parties of the urgent need to heed the Security Council’s call to bring an immediate end to armed hostilities in the country.
Mr. President,
12. In Tripoli, reports of retaliatory attacks against individuals and property of those associated with the government of Prime Minister al-Thinni, as well as individuals hailing from Zintan, are a cause for concern. Camps in Tripoli housing displaced members of the Tawergha community, one of which was attacked on 30 August, have now been vacated for fear of shelling and abductions. We have also received credible information from eastern Libya about incidents of intimidation and other retaliatory attacks targeting individuals hailing from Misrata. The growing number of acts of human rights violations and abuses has created a climate of fear and countless political and civil society activists, including women, are known to have left the country out of concern for their safety and security.
13. I have also reminded all parties of their obligation not to take hostages and to treat humanely anyone they have detained in the course of the recent fighting. I urge all armed groups holding people to release them or hand them over to the justice system. Armed groups must also account for the fate of those under their control who are presumed missing. In this regard, UNSMIL offered to assist in addressing the issue of detainees and both sides expressed their readiness to cooperate.