Speaking from a window at his Vatican residence on St Peter's Square, the pope told the faithful he included his concerns in his prayers over recent days.

"I am following the dramatic situation in Libya with great apprehension," he said. 

"I urge international bodies and those who have political and military responsibilities to recommence with conviction and resolve the search for a path towards an end to the violence, leading to peace, stability and unity in the country."

The pope also said he prayed for "the thousands of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons in Libya". 

Alluding apparently to the coronavirus pandemic also hitting Libya, he said "the health situation has aggravated the already precarious conditions in which they find themselves, making them more vulnerable to forms of exploitation and violence."

He added "there is cruelty", urging the international community to take "their plight to heart" and find ways and means "to provide them with the protection they need, a dignified condition and a future of hope."

The oil-rich North African nation has been mired in chaos and violence since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) controls the west, including the capital Tripoli, while military strongman Khalifa Haftar holds the east and some of the far-flung oases and oilfields that dot the south.

War and division are now weakening Libya's fight against the novel coronavirus, with the government struggling to deal with an outbreak deep in the desert south.

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