By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 27 May 2017:
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has said how much it deplores the continuing violence in Libya and its effect on the civilian population. It has also expressed its grave concern at the increase in the smuggling of migrants through the country. In the last three days the International Organisation for Migration has said that around 10,000 people have left Libyan shores.
The UN welcomed Presidency Council (PC) head Faiez Serraj’s condemnation of the escalation in the fighting in the south and applauded his investigation into the Brak Al-Shatti massacre. It also noted with approval the condemnations of the massacre by other Libyan political institutions.
It also censured the violence in Tripoli which broke out yesterday and it once more called on all parties to exercise restraint. It repeated its view that there could be no military solution and urged everyone involved to express their support for national reconciliation.
Libyan stakeholders should get on with their job of creating unified state institutions, including national security forces under appropriate civilian control. They should then unite to fight terrorism.
The Security Council also repeated how gravely concerned it was at the increase in migrant smuggling off the Libyan coast and deplored the resulting tragedies, not least on 24 May which resulted in dozens of casualties. It extended its deepest condolences to all those affected and their families.
The UNSC members ended by repeating that they fully supported the work of UNSMIL and also the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) but did not on this occasion mention the Presidency Council (PC) and the Government of National Accord (GNA).
