UNICEF Aircraft Delivers 18 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Libya

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The UN International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement the organization airlifted eighteen tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Libya.

"A UNICEF-chartered plane has arrived at Misrata airport, in northwestern Libya, with 18 tonnes of urgently needed emergency supplies," the release said on Monday. "These supplies will allow UNICEF to reach conflict-affected children and their families in and around Tripoli."

The humanitarian delivery included water, emergency medical kits, sanitation and hygiene supplies, and nutrition assistance, the release added.

According to UNICEF, an estimated 1.5 million people, including 500,000 children, have been affected by the recent violence in Tripoli and western Libya.

The political situation in Libya has been in a critical state since 4 April, when Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, ordered his troops to advance on Tripoli in a bid to drive what he said were terrorist forces out of the city. In response, armed forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord started a military operation against the LNA.

Since the overthrow and killing of Libya's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been divided between the two governments, with the eastern part controlled by the LNA, and the western part governed by the UN-backed GNA, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.