As Violence Escalates In Libya, UN Urges Greater Efforts

As Violence Escalates In Libya, UN Urges Greater Efforts to Tackle Security Challenges

The United Nations mission in Libya today strongly condemned the recent violence in the country and called on the authorities to boost efforts to address ongoing security challenges.

A news release issued by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) noted that acts of violence have taken place recently in a number of areas in the North African nation, including its capital, Tripoli, and its second largest city, Benghazi.

The Mission voiced its grave concern over the deteriorating security conditions and the growing acts of violence in their various forms that have targeted political activists, judicial institutions, diplomatic missions, army and police personnel as well as State facilities and others.

"UNSMIL calls upon the State authorities to intensify their efforts to address the security challenges that Libya is facing and appeals to all Libyans, men and women, at this juncture in the history of their country, to unite in confronting the risks threatening their safety and security and the country's stability."

It also reiterated the urgent need for inclusive national dialogue, and called on all segments of Libyan society to work toward convening such a dialogue at the earliest "to develop a common vision and consensus about the current challenges and the way forward to address them."

The latest violence -- including several explosions in Benghazi over the weekend and a jailbreak in which some 1,200 prisoners escaped -- is among several challenges facing Libya during the democratic transition that has been underway since the ousting of Muammar al-Qadhafi two years ago.

The former leader ruled the country for more than 40 years until a pro-democracy uprising in 2011 -- similar to the protests in other countries in the Middle East and North Africa -- led to civil war and the end of his regime.

ENDS

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