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STORY: GENEVA / LIBYA CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS
TRT: 02:05
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 23 APRIL 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior, Place des Nations, Geneva, with broken chair sculpture
23 APRIL 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Turco Williams, Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
"There have been two truces, ceasefires, which both parties to the conflict have putatively signed-up to. One of course was the January 12th truce that was called for by the Presidents of Russia and Turkey. Since January 12th and to this day, we've had over 850 violations of that truce. And we have a number of violations also of the truce that was subsequently agreed to by the parties in responding to the calls for a truce - a humanitarian truce - for the COVID crisis. So, you know, it's a truce in name only. You can't really call it a truce, you can't really call it a ceasefire. We had 70 violations just in the last week.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations with flag alley beyond fence
23 APRIL 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Turco Williams, Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
"We have concerning reports coming out of Surman and Subratha about retribution, acts of revenge, burning of houses. And we also have obviously the reports on the prison break, and the release of potentially some very alarming figures, people who have been involved in human trafficking, fuel smuggling and other violent crimes."
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
5. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
23 APRIL 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Turco Williams, Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):
"Libya is a signatory to the OPCW, they can certainly go that route in terms of seeking assistance. We've also referred this to the Panel of Experts, who will be looking into it. So, it’s, again, a very, very concerning report."
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
As many of the world's conflict areas have developed ceasefires in the faces of the COVID-19 pandemic, Libya is standing out as an exception, with ongoing heavy fighting across the country in the last week.
Speaking to reporters from Germany via Video Teleconference (VTC), the Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Turco Williams said, “there have been two truces, ceasefires, which both parties to the conflict have putatively signed-up to."
She said, “since January 12th and to this day, we've had over 850 violations,” adding that “it's a truce in name only. You can't really call it a truce, you can't really call it a ceasefire. We've had 70 violations just in the last week"
Concerns for the civilian population - both those displaced by fighting and those in confinement - are being raised by the United Nations, as a renewed military push by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) took place last week to take six key coastal towns and push back the forces of the opposition Libyan National Army (LNA). At the same time the LNA have been shelling the capital, Tripoli, home to the country’s main institutions, including the oil company and central bank.
Some areas of the conflict are causing particular worry, according to the UN representative. She said, “we have concerning reports coming out of Surman and Subratha about retribution: acts of revenge, burning of houses."
Williams spoke of reports on a prison break, “and the release of potentially some very alarming figures, people who have been involved in human trafficking, fuel smuggling and other violent crimes."
She told journalists that “the situation for people who are impacted by the fighting while under coronavirus lockdown is getting worse; some of the worst shelling is in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, but it is also being felt downtown.”
Although the new coronavirus has interrupted UN-led talks between the warring sides, Williams insisted that there was “ongoing contact” with all those engaged in all discussions.
She said that she herself also been “in direct contact” with both LNA leader General Haftar and Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to “urge them to substantively respond” to the draft ceasefire proposal tabled by the UN Support Mission in Libya at the close of the second round of recent military talks in Geneva.
Asked about recent reports from Libya's Minister of the Interior, who said that mercenaries fighting on the side of the LNA had carried out a chemical attack Government forces in Tripoli's southern suburbs, Williams said that matter may be referred to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.
She said, "Libya is a signatory to the OPCW, they can certainly go that route in terms of seeking assistance. We've also referred this to the Panel of Experts, who will be looking into it. So, it’s, again, a very, very concerning report."
