Five, including UN staff, killed in Benghazi car bombing

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.

UNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said.