A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya — At least three United Nations staff members were killed in Libya after a bomb-laden vehicle exploded this weekend outside a shopping mall in the eastern city of Benghazi, a spokesman for the international body said.

The attack on Saturday occurred even as the country’s warring sides said they had accepted a cease-fire proposed by the United Nations aimed at stopping combat in the capital, Tripoli, during an upcoming Muslim holiday.

Health officials said the bomb had exploded outside Arkan Mall in the Hawari neighborhood, where people were gathering for shopping a day before the Eid al-Adha holiday. The Benghazi municipal council said the attack had targeted a convoy for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.

Footage circulated online showed what appeared to be burned United Nations-owned vehicles as thick smoke bellowed into the sky. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya: At least three people were killed and four wounded when a car bomb went off in the eastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya late on Thursday a medical source said.

The explosion hit a checkpoint at the eastern exit of Ajdabiya, a town south of Benghazi, a military source said.

No further details were immediately available. </s> Show caption Security officials inspect the site where a car bomb exploded in Benghazi. Photograph: Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters Libya Five, including UN staff, killed in Benghazi car bombing Explosion shattered Libyan conflict ceasefire agreed during Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha Agencies Sat 10 Aug 2019 18.40 EDT Share on Facebook

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A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three UN staff members and two other mission members on Saturday, the United Nations said.

The UN is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April. A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The United Nations gave no more details, saying only some of its casualties had been members working in Benghazi, where its Libya mission had been boosting its presence recently.

UN secretary general António Guterres condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.

“The secretary general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al-Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

The United Nations security council was due to meet, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children. UNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organisation was “in the process of gathering information”.

The explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out UN car could be seen at the scene.

The LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognised government.

Around the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.

On Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a UN proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday. However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya – Libyan authorities say the death toll in a twin car bombing near a mosque in a residential area of the eastern city of Benghazi has risen to 33.

Local health official Hani Belras Ali said on Wednesday that 47 people were also wounded in the Tuesday night attack in the Salmani neighbourhood. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Benghazi police say the attackers timed the second bomb to go off as residents and medics gathered to evacuate the wounded from the first blast, aiming to cause a maximum of casualties.

The United Nations has condemned the bombings, saying that direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members and two other mission members on Saturday, the United Nations said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) force launched a surprise attack in April, part of the chaos in Libya since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.

“The U.N. does not intend to evacuate from Libya,” the assistant secretary-general for peace operations, Bintou Keita, later told the Security Council, which also condemned the attack.

The United Nations gave no more details, saying only some of its casualties had been members working in Benghazi, where its Libya mission had been boosting its presence recently.

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters two of those killed were guards with the U.N. Libya mission (UNSMIL). He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.

The explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.

The LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.

Around the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations for 48 hours during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which started on Saturday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.

On Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had already accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.

However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.

UNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. Analysts say it is unclear whether UNSMIL has the capacity to monitor a truce as it has moved out most of its staff for security reasons.

Benghazi and the east is controlled by Haftar’s LNA allied to a parallel government in the east challenging the Tripoli administration. </s> BENGHAZI — A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed two U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources and the eastern military said.

The United Nations is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April. A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL).

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.

“The secretary-general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Saturday, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.

UNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information.”

The explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.

The LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.

Around the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.

On Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.

However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.

UNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Ahmed Tolba and Ulf Laessing; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York. Writing by Ulf Laessing; editing by John Stonestreet, Kirsten Donovan and Jonathan Oatis) </s> BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack and confirmed two dead, a spokesman said in a statement. A medic said another U.N. staffer later died of his wounds in a hospital.

“The secretary-general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

He did not give any details about the attack.

The United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Saturday, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were guards with the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL). He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.

UNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information”. He could not be reached for further comment.

The explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.

The LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.

Around the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations for 48 hours during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which started on Saturday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.

On Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had already accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.

However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.

UNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. Analysts say it is unclear whether UNSMIL has the capacity to monitor a truce as it has moved out most of its staff for security reasons.

Benghazi and the east is controlled by Haftar’s LNA allied to a parallel government in the east challenging the Tripoli administration. </s> BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed two United Nations’ staff on Saturday, several medical sources and the eastern military said.The U.N. is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April.

A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL).

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that ten people had been wounded, among them children.

UNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information”.

The explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.

The LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.

Around the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.

On Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday period.

However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.

UNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said.
A car bomb goes off in Benghazi, killing three members of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and two other mission members, and wounding dozens of civilians.