UN hosts 'last chance' Libya peace talks

The United Nations gathered Libya's rival factions for talks in Geneva yesterday, amid warnings they could be the last chance to halt intensifying fighting for the country's main cities and oil wealth.

The North African nation has been gripped by deepening conflict since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a Nato-backed uprising in 2011, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control.

It has taken the United Nations months to get the opposing sides back to the negotiating table after a single round of talks in September.

But analysts warned that the Geneva negotiations between Libya's political rivals were unlikely to have any impact on the ground unless the leaders of the warring armed groups become directly involved.