The US embassy in Libya said Monday on Twitter that Washington was closely monitoring the situation in Al-Zawiya city amid reports of the use of weapons in civilian areas and the possibility of further violence in line with a military operation led by the Government of the National Unity in the western coast region.
The US embassy called on Libyan leaders to do everything in their power to deescalate, and to take all necessary precautions to protect the lives of civilians.
Meanwhile, the UK embassy in Libya issued a statement, in which it considered that “the use of weapons that endanger the lives of civilians is unacceptable,” calling on all parties to deescalate and to avoid any actions that further threaten people’s daily lives.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said last Friday that the unrest in Al-Zawiya constituted a reminder of the urgent need to unify the security and military institutions in Libya, empower them and make them accountable in order to ensure the safety and stability of the Libyan people. It stressed to all parties involved in Al-Zawiya unrest that any measures related to law enforcement “must take into account the relevant national and international laws,” adding that “the protection of civilians must remain a top priority.”
The Ministry of Defense announced the launching of the second phase of security operations against “criminal gangs of human and fuel smugglers and drug and weapons traffickers, after the success of the first phase in achieving its set objectives.”
It renewed its call to all citizens to fully cooperate with the armed forces, and to stay away from any suspicious sites of criminal groups, pledging to publish to the public a video-documented statement of the drone strikes from the first phase of the operation. It also confirmed that the security operations will continue until the desired goals are achieved.
