The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expresses its deep concern about reports coming from the South on the mobilisation of armed forces and the escalating cycle of statements and counter-statements, signalling growing risks of imminent conflict.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNSMIL, Ghassan Salame, calls on all parties in the South to exercise maximum restraint, noting "I have visited the city of Sabha last week and sensed that the people of the South, representing different political and ethnic backgrounds, have a genuine desire to settle the issues dividing them, for a better future for their region. This is precisely what the South needs, addressing the pressing issues, the most important of which are the security and humanitarian concerns.” He adds, “I also observed that they are strongly convinced that war and conflicts would only exacerbate the situation rather than finding viable solutions for these issues.”