UN concerned about upswing in Libya violence

The U.N. Security Council says it is concerned by the recent escalation of violence between armed groups in Tripoli.

The clashes have raised fears of another mini-civil war erupting around the oil fields and in a statement issued Thursday, the council called on the parties to cease fighting.

The council also welcomed progress in the fight against the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and their affiliates, particularly in Sirte and Benghazi, but warned that IS fighters may have dispersed to other parts of the country and urged Libyans across the political divide to unite in the fight against extremists.

Libya is split into two governments, with a parliament in the east that has refused to approve the U.N.-brokered government in the capital, Tripoli.