UN Security Council threatens Libya militias with sanctions

The UNSC "is prepared to sanction those who threaten Libya's peace, stability or security or that obstruct or undermine the successful completion of its political transition," the 15-member body said in a unanimous statement released on Saturday.

"There can be no military solution to the crisis in Libya," it added.

The statement also expressed support for a second round of UN-brokered negotiations on Libya which is set to be held in the Swiss city of Geneva next week, calling on all Libyan warring sides to attend.

The first round of talks in Geneva, which was held on Thursday and Friday, produced an agenda on the formation of a unity government in the North African country.

On Friday, the Fajr (Dawn) Libya militia alliance, which did not participate in the first round of negotiations, announced "a ceasefire on all fronts" as long as "the other parties respect the truce."

The Fajr Libya took over the capital, Tripoli, last summer and set up its own government and parliament, forcing Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni’s internationally recognized government to operate from the eastern city of Tobruk. The militia alliance also holds the country’s third-largest city of Misrata.

Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.