UN’s Libya envoy says time running out, Islamic State expanding

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN envoy to Libya is urging its parliament to endorse a unity government that can help combat a mushrooming Islamic State affiliate, he told The Associated Press on Wednesday, February 18, the news agency reports.

"Every day lost in political dialogue is a day of gain of Daesh," Martin Kobler said in the interview, referring to the extremist group by its Arabic acronym. "There is chaos. There is anarchy in which Daesh expands."

Libya's internationally recognized government and parliament has convened in the far east since 2014, when Islamist-allied militias seized the capital, Tripoli, in support of rival authorities. The two competing parliaments are each backed by a loose array of militias and tribes.

The divisions have allowed IS to expand across the northern coast of the oil-rich North African country, which is just across the Mediterranean from Italy and has also become a major conduit for African migrants heading to Europe. IS controls the central city of Sirte and a number of oil installations, and has carried out attacks across the country, AP says.

Kobler hailed the new proposal, describing it as a "balanced list" and saying politicians should accept the deal so they can begin to address the country's "disastrous" humanitarian situation.

Around 2.4 million Libyans — out of a population of 6 million— depend on humanitarian aid, with 1.3 million receiving food aid, Kobler said. He said people line up in front of bakeries and bring their own medicines to hospitals hit by shortages. Oil production has dropped from 1.6 million barrels a day to 350,000, and Central Bank reserves are dwindling.

"Ninety-five percent of the Libyan people are behind the political deal and want to see a strong government that takes care of basic necessities," Kobler said.