United Nations Libya envoy resigns - statement on Twitter

The United Nations special envoy for Libya said on Monday he has resigned for health reasons days after his latest effort at peacemaking failed to achieve a breakthrough in the conflict.
 
Ghassan Salame said on Twitter that he had "sought for two and a half years to unite Libyans, prevent foreign intervention and preserve the unity of the country", but "my health no longer allows me to take this much stress".
 
Last week he brought representatives of the two main sides in Libya's conflict to Geneva for peace talks, but key representatives suspended their involvement.
 
By the end of last week, shelling in Tripoli had again intensified into some of the heaviest bombardments since Salame brokered a ceasefire on January 12.
 
Neither the spokesman for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya or the spokeswoman for the United Nations in Geneva were immediately available for comment.
 
Libya has faced internal strife since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, and the latest round of violence began last year when eastern-based forces began to advance on the capital Tripoli.

 

 

 

 

REUTERS