Cease-fire in Sirte as humanitarian crisis worsens

Hundreds of people are fleeing the Libyan coastal town of Sirte as the National Transitional Council (NTC) announced a 48 hour cease-fire in their effort to capture Muammar Qaddafi's hometown.

TRIPOLI, LIBYA (Catholic Online) - Hundreds of cars have been reported packing the roads leading out of Sirte as civilians try to escape the fighting and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the city. 

At least one family of four has been reported killed by a rocket. The family was killed on Saturday while they were fleeing.

NTC sources told reporters that NATO aircraft had previously dropped fliers warning the civilians to flee the city ahead of fighting.

The town of Sirte is home to about 100,000 people and has been low on food and drinking water for weeks. The situation has been made worse by a virtual siege of the city conducted by NTC soldiers. 

Sirte is one of few places left in Libya that remains loyal to Qaddafi.

For more than two weeks the NTC has claimed that the town of Sirte has been on the verge of falling however they have been unable to clear Qaddafi loyalist fighters from their strongholds. Last week the NTC claimed that it controlled the city's seaport, airport, and military base. 
NTC soldiers are allowing Red Cross officials in to deliver aid.

On Saturday several aid workers from the Red Cross entered Sirte to deliver supples to the hospital but were unable to get through because of the fighting. Medical staff say that residents are dying because they cannot get basic medical supplies. Also, doctors cannot perform operations on people who need them. 

The hospital is ground zero for some of the worst effects of the humanitarian crisis. There are four Red Cross personnel who have clearance from pro-Qaddafi fighters to visit the hospital but they have not gone inside because of the fighting.

Doctors at the hospital told the Red Cross workers that the facility has no power and cannot run its generators because they have no gasoline. Meanwhile patients continued to arrive at the hospital just as medical supplies are running out. Doctors say they desperately need supplies of oxygen and water for critical patients.

The international Red Cross reminded both the NTC and pro-Qaddafi forces that they have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and medical personnel. The NTC says that although they have surrounded the hospital in nearby areas that are held by pro-Qaddafi fighters they have left open a route by which civilians can exit the area safely.

Sources say that Qaddafi loyalists still hold the heart of Sirte, and won't likely be driven out soon. For those civilians that remain, the crisis is sure to get worse before it gets better. 

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