With the escalation of military clashes in Libya, which exacerbated fears of a return to fighting, international voices rose calling for an immediate cessation of violence and urged the Libyan parties to enter into a real dialogue to end the country's political crisis.
This came after the number of victims of the clashes in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, rose to 163 dead and injured within 24 hours, including 23 deaths, according to the latest toll of the Libyan Ministry of Health.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the violence in Tripoli.
In a statement, Guterres urged the Libyan parties to engage in a real dialogue.
"The Secretary-General has followed with great concern reports of violent clashes in Tripoli that have caused civilian casualties and destroyed civilian infrastructure," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in the statement.
He added, "The Secretary-General urges the Libyan parties to enter into a real dialogue to address the ongoing political impasse and not to use force to resolve their differences."
He continued, "The Secretary-General called on the parties to protect civilians and refrain from taking any actions that would escalate tensions and deepen divisions."
He stressed the readiness of the United Nations to offer mediation to help the Libyan parties chart a way out of the political impasse, which increasingly threatens Libya's hard-won stability.
"Islamic Cooperation" calls for an end to violence
In a related context, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation called on the Libyan parties to dialogue to resolve differences, stop violence, protect civilians and avoid escalation.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation confirmed, in a statement, that it "is following with great concern the security developments in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, which led to the deaths of many people and the injury of others."
The organization, which includes 57 member states, urged "all Libyan parties to stop violence, protect civilians and avoid escalation."
The organization called for "calm down and resorting to dialogue to resolve differences at this delicate stage that Libya is going through in order to spare its people the scourge of violence and more dangers."
The "Islamic Cooperation" stressed "its keenness on the security, stability and safety of Libya and its people."
UAE condemns violence and calls for dialogue
For its part, the UAE condemned the armed violence in Libya, and called on all parties to stop military operations immediately.
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation also called for "preserving the safety of civilians, government headquarters and property, and for everyone to exercise maximum restraint, to get out of the current crisis."