UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is very concerned about recent intensified airstrikes on civilian areas of Libya that have killed mainly women and children, his spokesman said Tuesday.
"We are very concerned by the intensification of airstrikes in civilian populated areas in the past few days," said the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. "We stress that indiscriminate attacks are prohibited, and all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental civilians' casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure."
He reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law.
The spokesman said, "The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs reported that a number of civilians -- mostly women and children -- were killed in airstrikes in recent days in different parts of the country."
Dujarric said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, is "appalled by these horrific attacks, which constitute yet another blatant violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws."
More than 300,000 people remain displaced across Libya, including more than 140,000 people who have been displaced from their homes by clashes in the capital Tripoli, the spokesman said.
Various factions have been clashing in the oil-rich North Africa country.
