New York: Libya is on the verge of civil war which may result in the division of the country and imperil the security of its neighbours, the United Nation's envoy to the oil-rich country Ghassan Salame warned.
Speaking before the Security Council , Salame said extremists from the Islamic State and al-Qaida are already exploiting the situation .
Moreover, the offensive launched by the self-styled Libyan National Army to take the capital Tripoli has worsened the situation in the country, Salame added.
At least 460 people have been killed, over 2,400 wounded and more than 75,000 have been displaced during attacks on Tripoli by General Hiftar's forces.
The special envoy added that the conditions for migrants and refugees in Libya were already dire prior to the conflict.
These conditions have now gone from bad to worse.
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Nearly 3,400 refugees and migrants are trapped in detention centres exposed to, or in close proximity to, the current fighting.
He said, "I am no Cassandra, but the violence on the outskirts of Tripoli is just the start of a long and bloody war on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, imperiling the security of Libya's immediate neighbours and the wider Mediterranean region."
