FNs generalsekretær Ban Ki-moon opfordrer til øjeblikkelig og uhindret adgang til de især vestlige områder i Libyen, der er ramt af voldelige sammestød mellem regeringshæren og oprørere.
Folk er sårede og døende og må have hjælp med det samme.
“Generalsekretæren er dybt bekymret over kampene i det vestlige Libyen, som kræver mange liv og som trues af endnu mere blodbad i de kommende dage,” siger Mr. Ban’s talsmand. “Han bemærker, at volden især rammer civile og opfordrer til et øjeblikkeligt stop for regeringens uforholdsmæssige magtanvendelse og vilkårlige angreb på civile mål.”
Ansvar overfor borgerne
Vice-generalsekretæren for humanitære anliggender og nødhjælpskoordinator Valerie Amos tilføjer, at “humanitære organisationer har brug for akut adgang nu. Folk er sårede og døende og har brug for hjælp med det samme,” siger hun.
Mr. Ban drøftede “den mere og mere foruroligende humanitær situation” med libyske udenrigsminister Musa Kusa i en telefonsamtale søndag. Generalsekretæren opfordrede de kompetente myndigheder “til at opretholde deres ansvar for at beskytte landets borgere samt lytte til det libyske folks legitime forhåbninger om at leve i værdighed og fred.”
Voldsramte har brug for hjælp
The Secretary-General has appointed the former foreign minister of Jordan, Abdelilah Al-Khatib, as his Special Envoy to Libya to undertake urgent consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and in the region on the immediate humanitarian situation as well as the wider dimensions of the crisis.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it has received reports that the western city of Misrata is under attack by Government forces and that the Libyan Red Crescent is trying to get ambulances in from the capital, Tripoli, to collect the dead and injured.
“Humanitarian organizations need urgent access now. People are injured and dying and need help immediately,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos. “I call on the authorities to provide access without delay to allow aid workers to help save lives.”
Ms. Amos travelled yesterday to the Tunisia-Libya border to review the ongoing relief effort for people fleeing Libya amid the recent violence.
Since Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qadhafi started the violent repression of protesters demanding his ouster several weeks ago, over 100,000 people, many of them migrant workers, have fled to Tunisia, and a similar number to Egypt.
Færre flygtninge
OCHA said that since Libyan authorities took control of the border crossing into Tunisia, the number of people crossing has dropped to several hundred per day, compared to about 20,000 at its peak several days ago.
People crossing the border have reported that they have faced intimidation as they have tried to leave Libya. Ms. Amos stressed that freedom of movement is a fundamental human right that must be respected under all circumstances.
During her visit to the border areas, she thanked Governments, aid agencies, host families and communities in neighbouring countries, especially Tunisia and Egypt, for their support to those leaving Libya.
On Monday in Geneva, Ms. Amos will launch the regional flash appeal covering Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Niger. It will focus on the border areas, population movements, humanitarian needs, security, health, water, protection and communication, and will cover a three-month period.
