Attempts to secure a ceasefire in Libya have failed and the humanitarian crisis is worsening, UN chief Ban Ki-moon told AFP, as NATO said Thursday Moamer Gaddafi’s military power has been significantly degraded. The UN secretary general said in an interview in New York that his special envoy to Libya, Abdul Illah al-Khatib, has been “working very hard” but had no progress to report in his efforts to sway Gaddafi to declare an immediate and verifiable ceasefire. “In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the crisis is getting worse,” Ban warned. He said he was very concerned rebel-held about Misrata, which was under siege from Gaddafi forces for more than two months and where hundreds were killed. “The situation is getting very bad,” he said. Khatib travelled to Tripoli on Sunday where he held talks with officials on the need for a ceasefire and access to stricken Libyan cities, although he did not get to meet with Gaddafi himself. On Wednesday, the United Nations had raised its aid funding appeal to $407.8 million (287 million euros) from $310 million to help more than two million people it said were affected by the Libyan conflict. “The potential for a worsening of the humanitarian situation is very much present, with food, fuel and medical stocks running low, shortages of personnel in key sectors such as health, and no end in sight to the political situation which has divided the country,” the UN said.
