UNITED NATIONS, March 11 (UPI) -- Political divisions in Libya are undermining the country's ability to build on progress made since its revolution in 2012, U.N. special envoy Tarek Mitri said.
Mitri briefed members of the U.N. Security Council on developments in Libya, struggling to establish a political foundation since the ouster and death of Moammar Gadhafi two years ago.
The March 2 storming of the headquarters of the General National Congress was a regrettable example of how force was used for political gain, he said. At the U.N. Security Council Monday, Mitri said internal rivalries meant Libya faced "the risk of embarking on a new trajectory of unprecedented violence."
Libyan Ambassador to the United Nations Ibrahim Dabbashi said the country hadn't made the progress it should have as it struggles to contain remnants of the previous regime. He said "legitimate" international support was needed to help his country progress.
The U.N. Support Mission in Libya in late February expressed "deep" concerns about continued violence in Libya, including assassinations and attacks on judicial and political leaders, polling centers and buildings housing government buildings.
U.S. President Barack Obama last month said the situation in Libya "continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
