U.N. calls for ceasefire in Libya as deathtoll hits 1,000
CGTN
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The United Nations Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Libya as the death toll from the three-month clashes reached 1,000.

The call came following a Tuesday airstrike that hit a migrant detention center located to the east of Tripoli, which killed scores of people, drawing condemnation from the U.N.

A statement from the Security Council on Friday said the body “stressed the need for all parties to urgently de-escalate the situation and to commit to a ceasefire.”

Libya has been beset by heightened violence since April, as forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, holding eastern Libya, attempt to take over the capital, Tripoli, from forces allied to UN-recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarra.

The North African country has been dogged by violence since 2011, following the ouster and death of former president Muammar Gaddafi. The war has killed thousands and displaced millions as militant groups and human trafficking cells seek to impose their command in various regions across the country.

The latest spate of clashes fighting has left over 5,000 people wounded, with fears of more casualties if a ceasefire is not implemented.

The U.N has called for an independent investigation into Tuesday’s airstrike on the migrant center. The center is said to have held some 600 migrants.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack, saying the agency had shared the coordinates of the detention centre with the warring sides to protect the civilians.

According to the U.N. some 5,700 refugees and migrants are being held in detention centres across Libya, 3,300 of whom are vulnerable to fighting in and around Tripoli.