TRIPOLI, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday expressed concern over the military mobilization in southern Libya.

"UNSMIL expresses its deep concern about reports coming from the South on the mobilization of armed forces and the escalating cycle of statements and counter-statements, signalling growing risks of imminent conflict," the mission said in a statement.

Ghassan Salame, the UN mission head, called on the parties in the region to "exercise maximum restraint."

"I have visited the city of Sabha last week and sensed that the people of the South, representing different political and ethnic backgrounds, have a genuine desire to settle the issues dividing them, for a better future for their region," Salame said.

"I also observed that they are strongly convinced that war and conflict would only exacerbate the situation rather than finding viable solutions to these issues," he added.

Last week, the eastern-based army announced the launch of a military operation against crime and terrorism in the south.

Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya has been suffering escalating violence and political division. Enditem

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