UN Libyan envoy calls for humanitarian pause in Benghazi's Ganfounda area

The special representative of the UN secretary-general for Libya, Martin Kobler, on Thursday called for a humanitarian pause in Benghazi's Ganfouda neighborhood, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

"Mr. Kobler said he is deeply disturbed by reports that civilians in that neighborhood continue to be caught in cross-fire and suffer from shortages of food, water and medicines," the deputy UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, said at a daily news briefing here.

"The humanitarian pause would make it possible to reach those in need and create a safe passage to allow civilians who wish to leave to do so in a safe and dignified manner," he said, adding that Kobler stressed that the protection of civilians is the No. 1 priority and that the UN Mission (UNSMIL) is ready to support the evacuation.

Meanwhile, the UN envoy also stressed that the use of civilians as human shields and the carrying out of indiscriminate attacks are prohibited by international humanitarian law, Haq said. "Such violations would constitute war crimes and perpetrators would be held accountable."

Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya, has seen nearly constant fighting since 2014, when troops commanded by Khalifa Haftar in the name of the internationally recognized government have been fighting Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

The north African country remains divided politically between two governments and parliaments, despite a UN-brokered peace agreement signed by the country's political rivals in December 2015. Endit