Fighting in Libya continues to escalate this week amid calls from the United Nations mission and other NGOs to the country for an urgent need for a humanitarian pause.

Attacks on civilians, residential areas and a prison break are just a few of a long list of violent incidents ongoing in Libya, according to the United Nations mission to the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN’s political mission says it is alarmed by the intensification of fighting in recent days which resulted in casualties, and warned of a risk of further internal displacement of civilians.

The statement highlighted unconfirmed reports of revenge attacks including looting and torching of public and private properties in coastal towns recently re-taken by government aligned forces.

Their rivals, the self-styled Libya National Army commanded by Gen Khalifa Haftar was also condemned for indiscriminately shelling the capital Tripoli.

Last week, a UN agency official said an armed group also stormed a water control station in Libya to force the release of detained family members – this cut off the main water supplies to large parts of western Libya, including Tripoli.

The country has already confirmed 29 cases of coronavirus.