Libyan children play on destroyed tanks in Misrata, some 200 km east of Tripoli, Libya, on Sept. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Amru Salahuddien)
"Every child has the right to safety and security. As children in Libya return to school, we call on all parties to the conflict to protect children under attack," an UNICEF official said Sunday, in response to the report that a 13-year-old Libyan boy was killed by a mortar shell hitting his home.
TRIPOLI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, special representative of UNICEF to Libya, on Sunday urged the rival parties in the country to protect children.
"Deeply shocked with the reports that a 13-year-old died as a result of shelling in Tripoli. Children must be protected at all times. No child or parent should experience such violence or loss," Ghandour said, as the armed conflict between the east-based army and the UN-backed government continues.
"Every child has the right to safety and security. As children in Libya return to school, we call on all parties to the conflict to protect children under attack," Ghandour added.
According to the National Human Rights Commission of Libya, a 13-year-old boy named Ali Farjani was killed by a mortar shell that hit his home in the capital Tripoli.
The east-based army of Libya has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over Tripoli and overthrow the rival UN-backed government.
The armed conflict has killed and injured thousands of people, and also displaced nearly 120,000 civilians.
The 2011 uprising that toppled Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime was followed by a state of insecurity and political division that has plagued the North African country ever since.
