In Libya, Christians bring aid to civilians amid conflict

Nairobi, Kenya, June 21 (ENInews)--Christians are braving the fighting in Libya to deliver help to civilians trapped in the five-month-old conflict between dictator Moammar Gadhafi's forces and NATO alliance-backed rebels, a senior Roman cleric there said on 21 June.

"The Christians are still in the hospitals and schools. They are giving their share of help to alleviate the situation of the people," the Rev. Daniel Farrugia, a senior Roman Catholic priest at St. Francis Catholic Church in Tripoli, told ENInews via e-mail.

Accurate casualty estimates are difficult to obtain, but they range from 2,000 to 13,000 deaths since the beginning of the year, from various sources including Libya's opposition National Transitional Council, Human Rights Watch, the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights and others. Recently, civilian deaths have increased. On 19 and 20 June, estimates of civilian deaths caused by NATO forces ranged from 25 to 30.