International community calls for halt in Libya fighting as renegade general closes in on Tripoli
By Sudarsan Raghavan Sudarsan Raghavan Cairo bureau chief covering North Africa and Yemen Email Bio Follow April 8 at 10:13 AM CAIRO — Clashes between a renegade eastern commander’s forces and pro-government militias escalated on Monday, increasing the death toll and forcing thousands of residents of the Libyan capital to flee their homes while trapping thousands more.
But on Monday that scenario appeared increasingly distant. The U.N.’s top humanitarian official in Libya said that more than 2,800 people had fled the escalating violence in and around Tripoli while the clashes have left wounded and vulnerable civilians so isolated that emergency responders can’t reach them.
“The United Nations continues to call for a temporary humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from areas of conflict,” said Maria Valle Ribeiro, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya in a statement. The 75-year-old Hifter, a U.S. citizen who lived in exile in Northern Virginia for years, is aligned with a rival eastern government. He returned to Libya during the 2011 revolution and NATO intervention that toppled Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi and led to his killing.
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