Clashes between Libya's warring parties, which continue despite UN calls for a truce, are causing a daily hindrance to crucial humanitarian assistance, Jennifer Bose Ratka, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2020) Clashes between Libya's warring parties, which continue despite UN calls for a truce, are causing a daily hindrance to crucial humanitarian assistance, Jennifer Bose Ratka, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya, told Sputnik.
On Monday, the United Nations reiterated its calls for a truce in the north African nation amid the holy month of Ramadan, prompted by a rocket strike that hit the Tripoli airport and the district in which the residences of the Italian and Turkish ambassadors to Libya are based. Rome said that two people had died in the latter attack and blamed the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which has strongly refuted the claims. As of May 13, Libya has 64 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three associated deaths, according to UN data.
"Despite repeated calls for a ceasefire, including by the UN Secretary-General, hostilities continue unabated, hindering access and the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies. Humanitarian workers have faced significant challenges every day to carry on with their mission. In March 2020, humanitarian partners reported a total of 851 access constraints on movement of humanitarian personnel and humanitarian items within and into Libya," Bose Ratka said.
The spokeswoman stressed that the vulnerable population of Libya was in critical need of humanitarian assistance during the pandemic.
"With people losing their income and unable to access food or pay their rent, continued assistance is crucial, as needs are already on the rise and for that, aid agencies require humanitarian access and a cessation of hostilities. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing armed conflict in Libya and the situation for many migrants and refugees is especially alarming," she stressed.
According to the spokeswoman, since the beginning of 2020, over 3,200 people have been intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, with most of them ending up in 11 official detention centers, while others are put in facilities to which humanitarian organizations have no access.
"We have repeatedly reiterated that Libya is not a safe port and that persons rescued at sea should not be returned to arbitrary detention," Bose Ratka noted.
Libya has been torn between the two rival administrations since 2011, when long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, with the Libyan National Army (LNA) controlling the east and the Government of National Accord (GNA) sitting in the country's west. The LNA aims to drive away the Turkish-backed GNA from Tripoli.
The situation in Libya escalated on April 13 when the Tripoli-based GNA said that it had launched a rapid offensive west of the country's capital and taken control over the cities of Sabratah and Surman. A day later, an official from the GNA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Sputnik that the Tripoli-based forces had captured the coastal area from the city of Misrata, located to the east of the capital, to the city of Zuwara, close to the Tunisian border.
On April 21, Chairman of Libya's High Council of State in Tripoli Khalid al-Mishri expressed hope that the LNA, headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, would be defeated during the month of Ramadan.
