Fighting intensifies in Tripoli, UN Security Council fails to agree on joint call for ceasefire

On 17 April, Voice of America reported an intensification of fighting in Tripoli in the night between 16 and 17 April, marked by random shelling in residential areas which resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, according to local media outlets. UN Special Envoy of Libya Ghassan Salamé condemned in a statement the shelling, calling it a war crime and demanded a halt in fighting. The UN also alerted about the living conditions of Tripoli residents trapped in conflict zones during a press conference held at the UN headquarters on 15 April reporting an increase of the number of displaced people in Tripoli and surrounding areas to 18 000 people. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has so far failed to agree on a joint call for a ceasefire. Earlier this week, a resolution drafted by the United Kingdom was circulated by Security Council members but internal tensions appear to block an agreement.