China welcomes the ceasefire in Libya and calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations, and to resolve differences through dialog to jointly safeguard peace and stability, a Chinese envoy said on Thursday.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Sun Lei said his country is closely following the recent clashes between rival factions in the Libyan capital Tripoli, which left at least six people dead.
After listening to a report by prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan, Sun said the ICC should apply international law equally and avoid double standard and exceptionalism when dealing with all global and regional issues.
Sun called on the international community to ramp up support for Libya's judicial capacity building, so that the country's own judiciary can better combat impunity and achieve fairness and justice.
Noting the political reconciliation process in Libya is still in slow progress, Sun urged the international community to respect Libya's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and initiative, adhere to the "Libyan-led and Libyan-owned" principle, and support relevant parties in Libya to carry out dialogs to rebuild political mutual trust and establish unified state organs at an early date.
Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) on Thursday said the security situation in the capital has returned to stability.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement published on its official Facebook page that it assures all residents that the security situation in Tripoli is stable and under control, and security services are performing their duties with high efficiency to maintain public order.
The ministry urged civil servants and residents to resume normal activities, adding that police stations across the city were operating around the clock to receive reports and complaints.
Fighting erupted earlier this week after Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, a senior commander in the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) - a powerful armed group aligned with the Presidency Council - was killed in a facility controlled by the 444 Brigade, a militia loyal to GNU Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah.
Security sources said the killing triggered fierce retaliatory clashes between the SSA and the 444 Brigade, spreading into central and residential districts until a ceasefire was announced on Wednesday.
Libya has remained fractured since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country is split between rival administrations: the UN-recognized GNU in Tripoli and an eastern-based government backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) under commander Khalifa Haftar.
Within Tripoli and other areas under GNU control, armed factions continue to compete for influence, often violently, despite repeated calls for disarmament and unification of security institutions.
Chinese envoy hails ceasefire in Libya, calls for restraint, dialog
Chinese envoy hails ceasefire in Libya, calls for restraint, dialog
