The UN Security Council did not issue a statement condemning the bombing in Libya after the US reportedly did not endorse it. Washington earlier criticized the attack as “abhorrent,” but did not call for a ceasefire.
The UN Security Council held a closed emergency session on Wednesday to draft a response to the killing of at least 44 people in an air strike on a migrant and refugee detention center.
Peruvian Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, who is currently president of the council, said a statement was due but there was still no agreement on the text.
“We will have a press statement, but we are still discussing it,” Meza-Cuadra said.
The air strike hit the Tajoura detention center in the suburbs of Tripoli on Wednesday. Libya’s Tripoli-based government, which is backed by the UN, has blamed the attack on rival Libyan National Army forces loyal to rogue general Khalifa Hiftar.
During a two-hour closed-door meeting of the Security Council, Britain circulated a statement that condemned the air strike and called for a ceasefire.
According to diplomatic sources, the US prevented the 15-member Security Council from issuing a statement although it was unclear why.
A US State Department statement released in Washington earlier had condemned the “abhorrent” air strike, but did not call for a truce.