United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced alarm on Thursday over recent reports of civilians killed in Libya, Reuters reported.
“The Secretary General is deeply concerned by reports of the unacceptably large number of civilian casualties as a result of the conflict in Libya,” Ban’s press office said in a statement quoted by the news agency. “The Secretary General calls on all parties to exercise extreme caution in their actions, in order to minimize any further loss of civilian life.”
Ban’s statement comes after Libyan authorities accused NATO earlier in the week of a “massacre” of 85 villagers in air strikes supporting rebels.
The attack occurred in the village of Majar in western Libya late Monday to try to help rebels enter the government-held city.
In response, NATO said that its air strikes were “legitimate”, adding it has no evidence to back up Tripoli’s claims that the bombs killed 85 villagers.
Earlier on Thursday, the UN said Ban had spoken with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmudi and expressed his concerns about civilian casualties and the “absolute lack of progress in the efforts to find a politically negotiated solution to the crisis in Libya.”
Ban’s latest statement also said that “there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis.” He called on both sides to respond to ideas for a settlement put to them by his envoy for Libya.