The United Nations on Friday expressed its readiness to provide support as necessary to the Government of National Accord (GNA) regarding the massive graves discovered recently, in Tarhuna and liberated areas south of Tripoli.

This came during a press conference held by Stephen Dujarric, spokesman for the United Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, through a video conference at the UN HQ in New York.

"We welcome the decision of the GNA's Minister of Justice to form a committee to look into these mass graves and we will provide all necessary support because it is a sovereign and internationally recognized government," Dujarric said.

He called for prompt action aimed at securing the mass graves, identifying the victims, establishing causes of death, and returning the bodies to next of kin.

The UN official noted that on Thursday, the UNSMIL expressed its horror at reports of the discovery of at least eight mass graves in past days, the majority of them in Tarhuna.

"Once again, the United Nations urges all parties to the conflict to respect the rule of law, to protect civilians, and to make all efforts to calm tensions," he added.

Earlier Friday, the Libyan army announced it had found three new mass graves in Tarhuna and its surroundings, in addition to the eight discovered in the past few days, in areas that were controlled by Haftar's militias.