GENEVA - Libya has descended into civil war with increasing numbers of wounded civilians arriving in hospitals in eastern cities, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

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ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger called on Libyan authorities to grant the humanitarian agency access to western areas including the capital Tripoli and reminded both sides that civilians and medical facilities must not be targeted.

"We have now a non-international armed conflict, or what you would call civil war," Kellenberger told a news conference. "We see increasing numbers of wounded arriving at hospitals in the east and we are extremely worried."