UN Secretary-General urges calm in Libya as protests spread

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has appealed for calm as street demonstrations spread across Libya in protest over power cuts and the failure to hold national elections, Reuters reports.

According to the report, the act came after protesters stormed the Parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk as anger exploded over deteriorating living conditions and the political deadlock.

“The Secretary-General is following with concern the demonstrations that were held in several cities in Libya, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi,” the office of Guterres said in a statement.

According to the statement, Guterres also urged “Libyan actors to come together to overcome the continued political deadlock”, which was negatively “deepening division”.

Last Saturday, a senior United Nations official for Libya also condemned the storming of the Parliament’s headquarters by angry demonstrators.

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