By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Libya is fast moving towards civil war, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.
“Libya has been and is on the brink of a civil war, and our task was to save the lives of our citizens (there),” Medvedev said during a meeting with Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“A complete disintegration in state governance usually occurs during such events, which is what we have seen in Libya,” he said.
Russia Wednesday completed the evacuation of its citizens from the North African country, where at least 2,000 people have been killed in violent clashes between troops loyal to long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi and protesters.
“This was a large-scale and complicated operation,” Medvedev said, referring to the evacuation.
The Russian embassy in Tripoli said Russia has evacuated 520 Russians and 593 foreign nationals from Libya.
The unrest in Libya began Feb 14, following the ouster of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Libyans are demanding an end to Gaddafi’s 42-year rule.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague Thursday opened a probe into the role of Gaddafi and his top aides in atrocities allegedly committed in the crackdown on protesters.