BANI WALID, Libya, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Alarmed by the fighting in and around Bani Walid, Libya, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to seek a peaceful resolution.
Ban's representative said the secretary-general was particularly alarmed by reports that indicated a growing number of civilian casualties because of indiscriminate shelling, the United Nations said Monday in a release.
"The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and calls on all the Libyan authorities and those in Bani Walid to begin immediately a process to resolve the Bani Walid stand-off peacefully," the representative said in a statement Sunday.
The U.N. official said reports indicated Libyan forces launched a full-scale assault against Bani Walid, charging that supporters of former strongman Moammar Gadhafi were running the town. Gadhafi was overthrown in October 2011.
The city was among the last to fall to rebels during last year's conflict, and some have considered it a safe haven for Gadhafi loyalists and criminal gangs, the United Nations said.
In his statement, the representative said Ban believes the Libyan authorities must extend Libyan sovereignty and state control and services throughout the country.
"The state and those militias acting in its name ... have a responsibility to the people of Libya to act fully in accordance with international law, in particular international human rights law," the statement said. "All those involved in the fighting in and around Bani Walid should be aware that the international community is closely monitoring the situation."
