Libya: Unity Government Protests at ’Untruths’ in UN Report

By Staff, Agencies

Libya's Government of National Accord protested at what it said were "untruths" in UN envoy Ghassan Salame's latest report on the conflict in the North African country.

Fayed al-Sarraj, head of the UN-recognized government which is based in Tripoli, summoned Salame on Wednesday "to deliver a protest note over untruths" in his report to the United Nations Security Council, it said.

Salame, in a videoconference on Monday, raised the alarm over "the increasing frequency of attacks on Mitiga", the Libyan capital's only functioning airport.

"Several of these attacks have come perilously close to hitting civilian aircraft with passengers on board," he said.

Salame urged "the authorities in Tripoli to cease using the airport for military purposes and for the attacking forces to halt immediately their targeting of it".

Mitiga closed several times over the past four months because of a battle for Tripoli between GNA forces and fighters of military strongman General Khalifa Haftar.

Nearly 1,100 people have been killed since Haftar launched the offensive against the capital on April 4, according to the World Health Organization.