UN chief condemns car bomb attack in Benghazi, Libya

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the car bomb attack in Benghazi, Libya, in which three UN staff members were killed and several others injured.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. [File photo: Getty Images via VCG/Drew Angerer]

"The secretary-general condemns in the strongest terms the car bomb attack today in Benghazi, Libya," according to a statement issued by Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.

"The secretary-general extends his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a swift recovery to all the injured. He calls on the Libyan authorities to spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this attack," said the statement.

"The secretary-general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve," it said.

The Security Council, at the request of France, called an urgent meeting Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Libya. Council members and Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Department of Peace Operations, condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack at the meeting.

The attack happened as the UN was brokering a truce between the rival parties in Libya in the capital city of Tripoli.

Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, has witnessed years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after the 2011 uprising overthrew former leader Muammar Gaddafi.