UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a „bloody battle“ over the Libyan capital Tripoli. „There is still time for a ceasefire,“ Guterres said Wednesday after a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on violence in the North African crisis state. Still could „the worst“ be prevented.
Guterres had been in Libya last week, when troops of renegade General Chalifa Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli. On Wednesday Guterres briefed the UN Security Council on the situation in the country. The UN Secretary-General then spoke of a „very dangerous situation“. For a fresh start for political talks to settle the crisis, all fighting would have to be stopped first.
The UN Security Council spent more than two hours behind closed doors. The most important body of the United Nations could demand a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in a resolution, as diplomats said.
Meanwhile, the fighting continued in suburbs of Tripoli. The capital is the seat of the internationally recognized unity government of Libya. Haftar supports a counter-government in the east of the country.
Since the fall of the ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011, there is chaos in the North African country. The government in Tripoli is weak and does not control large parts of the country.
