Libya fighting continues, death toll rises to 264: WHO

By Bayram Altug </p> <p>GENEVA (AA) – The death toll from ongoing fighting between Libyan rivals in the capital Tripoli has risen to 264, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.</p> <p>Speaking to reporters, Tariq Jarasevic, spokesman of WHO, said some 1,266 people have been injured since the beginning of the fighting.</p> <p>Since early April, Khalifa Haftar, commander of forces loyal to a rival government in eastern Libya, has been launching a campaign to capture Tripoli, where a UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is headquartered.</p> <p>Although Haftar has so far failed to wrest the capital from pro-GNA forces, sporadic fighting on the city’s outskirts has left casualties on both sides.</p> <p>According to Jarasevic, at least 21 of the deceased and 69 of the injured persons were civilians.</p> <p>He also said WHO have been helping the treatment of those wounded and have assigned a team to the region.</p> <p>Meanwhile, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said 32,000 civilians have been displaced since the beginning of the conflict.</p> <p>“We call on the parties for the protection of civilians and humanitarian aid,” said UNHCR spokesman Barbar Baloch.</p> <p>Libya has remained beset by turmoil since long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising in 2011.</p> <p>Since then, the country has seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, to which Haftar is affiliated, and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition.</p> <p> </p> <p>*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic</p> <p>