A United Nations team that has visited Kufra, scene of inter-communal for much of this month, has reported that the cease-fire . . .[restrict]brokered by local authorities is holding but that the situation in the south-eastern town of remains tense.
A team from of the UN Humanitarian Country Team and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) visited the town last week.
“Based on the information received on the ground from both sides, more than 100 have been killed as a result of fighting, and as much as half of the town’s population has sought refuge elsewhere,” a UNSMIL statement published on Monday stated, adding that “some 200 foreign migrants are still waiting to be moved out from the area.”
UNSMIL said that the UN and Libyan partners had provided food, medicine, mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits to residents affected by by fighting. “More supplies will be arriving in the coming days from stocks in the country and elsewhere.”
Ever since fighting between minority Tebus and members of the the Zway tribe on 11 February, there have been a number of broken ceasefires. A group of reporters were to have been flown down to Kufra on Monday to see what was happening on the ground. But the trip did not happen, leading to suspicions that the latest one had broken down as well. However, the UNSMIL statement indicates that the latest ceasefire is holding.
“National authorities are pursuing reconciliation efforts by engaging in dialogue with the representatives from both communities,” it stated, adding that “the UN calls on all the communities to resolve their disputes via peaceful means and will continue to support this process.” [/restrict]
