UN Denounces Libya Violence as Zawiya Clashes Kill Five

(MENAFN) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a sharp condemnation Friday over the escalating armed conflict engulfing the city of Zawiya and its surrounding areas, warning that the bloodshed is placing civilians and critical western Libyan infrastructure in grave jeopardy.

In an official statement, the mission declared that the deployment of heavy weapons and indiscriminate gunfire within densely populated residential zones is "unacceptable and places civilians at grave risk." UNSMIL also raised alarm over reports that residential compounds in the vicinity of the Zawiya oil refinery were being appropriated for military use, insisting that "civilian infrastructure must not be turned into battlegrounds," and calling on all armed factions to lay down their weapons immediately.

At least five people lost their lives and several others sustained injuries Friday as intense armed clashes tore through Zawiya, a city situated approximately 60 kilometers west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, according to local media reports.

The violence dealt an immediate blow to Libya's energy sector. Zawiya Oil Refining Company announced a full operational shutdown of the Zawiya refinery earlier in the day and ordered the evacuation of oil tankers from its port, citing the proximity of the fighting to the facility, while simultaneously activating emergency protocols.

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