Libyan official says airstrike kills 40 migrants in Tripoli
Libya, over the years, has been a springboard for migrants to move to Europe
Libya, over the years, has been a springboard for migrants to move to Europe
Libya, over the years, has been a springboard for migrants to move to Europe
Libya, over the years, has been a springboard for migrants to move to Europe
At least 40 were killed after an airstrike hit a detention centre at Benghazi, the Libyan capital early Wednesday, a health official in the country's UN-supported government said. The attack, that took place at Tripoli's Tajoura neighbourhood also injured 80 migrants.
Malek Merset, a spokesperson for the health ministry posted photos of migrants who were being taken in ambulances to hospitals.
The UN refugee agency in Libya condemned the airstrike on the detention centre, which houses 616 migrants and refugees.
Libya, over the years, has been a springboard for migrants to move to Europe. The Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Hifter,was blamed by the Tripoli-based government for the strike. The government also called for the UN support mission in Libya to form a fact-finding committee to investigate. The LNA however, denied any involvement in the attack.
Footage circulating online and said to be from inside the migrant detention centre showed horrific images of blood and body parts mixed with rubble and migrants' belongings.
Libya has descended into civil war since 2014. The last time, Libya witnessed violence of this level was around 2011, when the conflict ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi and his eventual death.
Hifter's forces control much of the country's east and south but were dealt a significant blow last week when militias allied with the Tripoli government reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, about 100 kms (62 miles) from the capital.6,000 migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and other nations are held in dozens of detention facilities in Libya that are run by militias accused of torture and other human rights abuses. The centres are often known to face food and shortage of other supplies. They are, in many cases at the mercy of abusive traffickers who hold them for ransom money from families back home.
According to UN refugee agency, more than 3,000 migrants are in danger because they are held in detention centres close to the front lines between Hifter's forces and the militias allied with the Tripoli government.