Libya’s UN-recognised government has become the latest administration to impose a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Head of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj has said that daily attacks on civilian neighborhoods in Tripoli haven’t stopped, adding that several people, including children, have lost their lives in those violations at a time his government is trying to avoid a Coronavirus outbreak.

The Secretary General General the UN Antonio Guterres on Saturday welcomed positive responses from Libya’s warring parties to calls for a humanitarian pause in fighting to allow authorities to respond to the public health challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Serraj declared the state of emergency over the possible coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj has delayed a meeting for the Board of Trustees of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) from Sunday – March 15 – to a further notice.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on Thursday, a German government spokesman said in a statement, urging him to move quickly towards signing a ceasefire, Reuters reports.

The US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has discussed with the Head of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj resuming Libyan-led talks under the auspices of the United Nations.

The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reject the appeal submitted by Saif al-Islam, son of late President Muammar Gaddafi, before The Hague, angered many Libyans, especially supporters of the former regime who stressed that local laws “prevent the extradition of Libyans to foreign countries.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed the admissibility of a case against Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi on Tuesday, almost nine years after the son and heir-apparent to deposed Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was issued an arrest warrant along with his father.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Khalifa Haftar had received – between 2015 and 2019 – armored vehicles from Jordan and UAE as well as fighter helicopters from Belarus and Egypt.