VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Artillery blasts shook Libya’s 's capital Tripoli on Sunday as fighting raged and the nation confirmed five more cases of the coronavirus for a total of eight. The National Centre for Disease Control said the new cases were in the northwestern city of Misrata, held by the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is at war with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar.

In chaos and without central authority since 2011, Western-backed uprising that overthrew strongman Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is poorly placed to withstand any pandemic. The United Nations has urged warring parties to stop fighting so the overstretched health system can prepare. Cycles of conflict have destroyed much of Libya's infrastructure, and a financial crisis has stopped salaries to many medics.

The current phase of warfare began last year when Haftar's LNA began an offensive to capture Tripoli, the seat of the UN-recognised GNA. The conflict escalated last week when pro-GNA fighters mounted assaults on several fronts with clashes, bombardment and air raids. Loud blasts could be heard in central Tripoli on Sunday from fighting in the south of the city, one of the fiercest front lines, witnesses said. (Al Jazeera)