United Nations (United States)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that foreign interference in the Libya conflict has reached “unprecedented levels,” with sophisticated equipment and mercenaries involved in the fighting.
Guterres denounced the situation during a ministers-level UN Security Council video conference, expressing particular concern about the military forces massing around the city of Sirte, halfway between Tripoli in the west and Benghazi in the east.
“The conflict has entered a new phase with foreign interference reaching unprecedented levels, including in the delivery of sophisticated equipment and the number of mercenaries involved in the fighting,” he said.
Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), “with significant external support, continued their advance eastward” and are 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Sirte, Guterres said.
GNA units had tried twice before to seize the city, he noted. The unity government, with Turkey’s backing, is battling forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has support from Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.—AFP
