Libya clashes persist as UN truce window passes

Fighting raged south of Libya’s capital on Sunday, emergency workers and the United Nations said, despite the UN’s call for a two-hour humanitarian truce for civilians and the wounded to flee.

“There was no truce, but we are still hoping for a positive response” from the warring parties, said Jean Alam, a spokesman for the UN’s Libya mission.

Emergency services spokesman Oussama Ali said: “So far our teams have not been able to enter” the battle zones.

Earlier on Sunday, UNSMIL, the UN mission in Libya, called on “all armed parties in the Wadi Rabi area, Al-Kayekh, Gasr Ben Ghachir and Al-Aziziya to respect a humanitarian truce ( between 1400 and 1600 GMT) to secure the evacuation of wounded and civilians by rescue teams and the Libyan Red Crescent.”

Meanwhile, the US Africa Command has announced that it has temporarily evacuated a contingent of US forces supporting it from Libya due to the security conditions on the ground.