Bathily made the remarks during a meeting in the Libyan city of Sirte with a delegation of social leaders, dignitaries, civil society representatives and the city's mayor.

"The SRSG listened and expressed empathy for their challenges, including infrastructure destroyed by war and inadequate healthcare. He (Bathily) pledged to relay their requests for support to national authorities," the UN Support Mission in Libya said in a statement.

"Noting the conflict's multi-faceted impact on Sirte, SRSG Bathily emphasized the urgency of convening credible and inclusive elections to restore legitimacy to Libyan institutions and establish the stability needed to rebuild the state, the social fabric and the country," it said.

Sirte, located some 450 km east of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, used to be controlled by Islamic State militants before they were defeated and expelled from the city in 2016 by the former UN-backed Government of National Accord.

Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among Libyan parties.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has struggled to make a democratic transition amid escalating violence and political division.