UNITED NATIONS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- A UN envoy for Libya on Monday called for facilitating humanitarian workers' access to conflict zones in Tripoli, Libya's capital city.
"One of the critical issues in our ability to respond is access," Maria do Valle Ribeiro, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Libya, told reporters.
She called on parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and facilitate the access of humanitarian workers to conflict areas so that they can reach people most in need.
Among the first civilian fatalities in the conflict were three medical workers -- one ambulance driver and two medics, who were killed as they tried to bring support and assistance to populations in need, she noted.
As the fighting in Tripoli rages on, the humanitarian situation is becoming worse, especially with the use of heavy artillery and also shelling in some densely populated parts of the city, she said via a video link from Tripoli.
The latest violence began on April 4 when Gen. Khalifa Haftar's Libya National Army advanced on Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognized government, striking the outskirts of the capital city.
Up to 35,000 people have been displaced by the latest wave of conflict, with many ending up in temporary shelters, said do Valle Ribeiro.
The United Nations is very concerned about the fact that displacement is continuing at an increasing rate every day, she said.
"We are also obviously very concerned about the people who are still in the areas of conflict and would like to leave but have not been able to leave, or wounded people who the first responders and the emergency ambulance services have not been able to reach," the UN official said.
She also expressed concern about the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers stuck in the Libyan capital, particularly the 3,600 who find themselves in detention centers in some of the areas closer to the front lines.
The World Health Organization has put civilian casualties at 89, including 20 civilian deaths. But do Valle Ribeiro cautioned that the numbers should be understood as "a minimal estimate."
