The UN Security Council called Friday for a ceasefire in Libya as the death toll from a three-month offensive on Tripoli reached 1,000.
The Council condemned late Tuesday an air strike on the Tajoura detention camp for migrants east of Tripoli and "stressed the need for all parties to urgently de-escalate the situation and to commit to a ceasefire", said a joint statement.
Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive in early April to “liberate” the capital from forces and militias loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
Air strikes and ground fighting have since left nearly 1,000 people dead and some 5,000 wounded, the UN's World Health Organization said.
Haftar has denied that the LNA is using oil airports for military purposes.
“But if we need to -- and it’s unlikely -- we won’t hesitate,” he told Bloomberg in an interview.
“The army is not a trader. The army is a regular defense force protecting the homeland. It doesn’t sell oil, neither legally or illegally. Selling oil is exclusively the work of the National Oil Corp,” he said in response to a question.
“The company should not avail its capabilities to the service of terrorists and armed militias, and to avoid working against the army,” Haftar added.
