![Tripoli faced severe water shortages before, especially during the 2011 uprising against Gaddafi [File: Giulio Petrocco/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/b00bf968448e4fdab3b11fa9fc336b8d_18.jpeg?resize=770%2C513)
TRIPOLI, Aug 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL) in Libya condemned the recent obstruction of Libya’s main water supply system by an armed group.
“On 14 August, armed actors forced the closure of the eastern branch of the Man-Made River. The closure threatens the water security for millions of people in Libya and risks provoking a humanitarian crisis,” UNSMIL said in a statement.
“Any obstruction of vital infrastructure, such as the Man-Made River, is a violation of international human rights and humanitarian law and is particularly reprehensible when committed to extort political concessions,” the statement said.
The Mission described the obstruction of the water system as similar to a form of collective punishment of people, demanding that all perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
UNSMIL reiterated that access to water and water supply should never be politicised, urging all actors to “work in the national interest of Libya and all people in Libya to ensure the water supply is resumed immediately and that water infrastructure is both respected and protected.”
An armed group stormed the control center of the system and forced workers to shut down the water supply, according to the Man-Made River system administration. The group was pressing for the release of a former intelligence chief. — NNN-XINHUA
