by Mahmoud Darwesh
TRIPOLI, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- It has been more than six months since the deadly armed conflict between the UN-backed government forces of Libya and the east-based army in and around the capital Tripoli, with no signs of cease-fire on the horizon.
Abu-Bakr Mahmoud, a Libyan university professor, said the ongoing war in Tripoli will not be resolved easily given the international support that each party has gained.
"Six months have passed since the battles started in southern Tripoli. Every day, we hear about progress made by one party against the other. A day or hours later, the retreating party regains its lost positions," Mahmoud told Xinhua.
"The fighting strategies (of each party) cause a state of stalemate in the conflict areas, as both parties resort to airstrikes and disruption of supply lines, instead of actual confrontation on ground," he explained.
The east-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign against the UN-backed government in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to overthrow the government.
The violence has so far killed and injured thousands of people, and forced nearly 120,000 civilians to flee their homes.
Faraj al-Dali, a Libyan political analyst, describes the war as a "pure loser's war," as the claims of each party to end the conflict in its favor have not been achieved.
"The battles continue to destroy private and public property and infrastructure. The only airport in the capital, in which more than 2 million people live, has been closed for more than a month. All factors confirm the failure of military option to end the crisis," al-Dali told Xinhua.
Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, condemned on Tuesday the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Libya.
The UN official warned that such attack is a violation of the international law, urging international parties to spare no effort to protect civilians.
Mokhtar Trabelsi, a Libyan human rights activist, said the war continues with increasing attacks on human rights activists.
"The ongoing battles have created a state of hostility and division between in the east and west of the country. Everyone is lined up behind one of the conflict party," Trabelsi told Xinhua.
Trabelsi urged the rival parties to end the conflict quickly through dialogue and concession for the sake of the country, "which is threatened by the fighting of its people as well as terrorism."
The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya, a nongovernmental organization, expressed concern over increased organized crime and escalation of illegal arbitrary detention in Tripoli as a result of the war.
Libya has been suffering escalating violence and political instability ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
