UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite a UN arms embargo against Libya, a UN envoy said Monday that the weapons that turned up in the country's conflict pointed to foreign supporters, expressing concern that they may be falling into the hands of terrorists.
Ghassan Salame, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Libya, told the Security Council that "armed drones, armored vehicles and pick-up trucks fitted with heavy armaments machine guns, recoilless rifles, mortar and rocket launchers have been recently transferred to Libya with the complicity and indeed outright support of foreign governments."
Describing Libya as "a terrain of experimentation of new military technologies and recycling of old weapons," he said external support has been "instrumental" in the recent intensification of airstrikes.
Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 unrest that toppled and killed long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The chaos resulted in a divided country, with the UN-recognized administration overseeing the west and a rival government in the east.
In early April, the Libyan National Army (LNA), allied with the eastern government, started an offensive on the capital Tripoli.
In his briefing to the Security Council, Salame reported the warring parties have intensified air campaigns, with precision airstrikes by aircraft and armed drones.
He also said the weapons discovered after the retaking of Gheryan from the LNA illustrated the advanced systems that are provided, noting with concern that the "imported weaponry is being accompanied by foreign personnel working as pilots, trainers and technicians."
Meanwhile, the UN envoy warned the security vacuum created by the conflict in and around Tripoli continues to be exploited by the Islamic State in remote areas in the country's southern and central regions.
He noted "worrisome" indications that the arsenal of weapons being delivered by foreign supporters, to one side or the other, "is either falling into the hands of terrorist groups or being sold to them."
"It is high time the warring parties cease all hostilities, redeploy their forces, and focus on the common threat before Libya becomes more of a safe haven for terrorist organizations," he urged.
Underlining the situation in the south as "dire," Salame said the UN political mission in Libya known as UNSMIL is working to open a "hub" in Sebha, the capital of south Libya, following the re-establishment of an operational presence in Benghazi of the east.
