Haftar’s Libyan army slows push toward Tripoli over concerns for civilians

A self-styled Libyan army has slowed down its push on the capital Tripoli over concerns for civilians caught up in the violence, AP reports. The UN refugee agency said on Monday that the fighting has displaced more than 32,000 people. Fighting erupted on April 5, pitting the Libyan National Army, led by Marshall Khalifa Haftar and aligned with a rival government in the east, against militias affiliated with Tripoli’s UN-backed government. The death toll from this month’s fighting climbed to 254, including combatants and civilians, the World Health Organization said. At least 34 more people died in the past two days and 1,228 were wounded, the WHO has said. Fighting is now underway for control of Ain Zara and Aziziya, two towns near Tripoli, and in the Abu Salim district, about 7km from Tripoli center.