A stuffed bear is seen in an abandoned house during clashes between the UN-backed Libyan government and the east-based army in Salahuddin, Tripoli, Libya, on May 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Amru Salahuddien)
The nature of the armed conflict in Libya's Tripoli has changed, putting children and their families on the frontline of battle, said the UNICEF.
TRIPOLI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday expressed concern over the impact of the armed conflict in Libya's Tripoli on education.
"Shelling of a second school in Tajoura neighbourhood of Tripoli occurred in less than 48 hours, depriving some 1,300 girls and boys from restarting their education after the summer break in early September 2019," UNICEF said in a statement.
"The UNICEF is concerned that the nature of the conflict has changed, putting children and their families on the frontline of battle. On July 29, a grenade hit Ben Lasher school in Tripoli, leaving 10 classrooms, three laboratories and eight administrative offices heavily damaged," the statement said.
UNICEF called on Libyan rival parties to put an end to the conflict and keep children away from harm's way.
The eastern-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over Tripoli from the UN-backed government.
The fighting so far has killed more than a thousand people, injured more than 5,700 others, and forced more than 120,000 people to flee their homes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The army is allied with the eastern-based government, as the north African nation is politically divided between eastern and western governments.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
