Skip to main content

Libya: UN report urges accountability for deadly attack

Libya: UN report urges accountability for deadly attack against migrant centre

IOM/Moad Laswed
The aftermath of the devastating attack at the Tajoura Detention Centre, east of Tripoli, in July 2019.
    
27 January 2020
Human Rights
Warring parties in Libya, as well as foreign governments supporting them, are being urged to investigate deadly airstrikes last July which killed at least 53 migrants and refugees at a detention centre in the northwest of the country. 
The appeal was made by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN human rights office in Geneva, which on Monday published a joint report calling for accountability for the attack targeting the Daman building complex, which houses the detention centre. 
“As I have said previously, the Tajoura attack, depending on the precise circumstances, may amount to a war crime,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. 
“Libyans, migrants and refugees are trapped amid violence and atrocities that are in turn fuelled by impunity. Those guilty of crimes under international law must be held to account.”  

‘Tragic example’ of use of air power 

The Daman complex is in Tajoura, a town in the Tripoli district in north-western Libya, and comprises various facilities belonging to the Government of National Accord (GNA). 
The UN-backed administration is battling the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), which is aligned with a rival government in Benghazi, located in the east. 
Fighting between the two sides intensified in April 2019, after the LNA laid siege to southern Tripoli. 
The attack on the Daman complex occurred on 2 July 2019 when an “air-delivered bomb” struck a vehicle repair workshop there operated by the Daman Brigade, an armed group allied with the GNA, according to the report. 
Minutes later, a second airstrike hit the Tajoura Detention Centre, a large hangar which at the time held some 616 migrants and refugees.  Three sections of the building were impacted.   
One of the sections, which housed 126 people, sustained a direct hit. Forty-seven men and six boys were killed, and 87 other male migrants and refugees were injured.  
It was one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the new round of hostilities in April. 
The report found that while it appeared that the airstrikes were conducted by aircraft belonging to a foreign State, “it remains unclear whether these air assets were under the command of the LNA or were operated under the command of that foreign State in support of the LNA.”  
Regardless, international humanitarian law still applied. The report recalled that parties to the conflict knew the precise location and coordinates of the detention centre, which had suffered a previous hit just months before. 

Airstrikes behind most civilian casualties 

“The July 2019 attack at Tajoura is a tragic example of how the use of air power has become a dominant feature in Libya’s civil conflict, and of the dangers and direct consequences on civilians of foreign interference”, said UNSMIL chief Ghassan Salamé.  
“This is why the commitments made in Berlin on 19 January to end such interference and uphold the UN arms embargo must take hold.” 
The international community met in the German capital last Sunday in efforts to find a political solution to end the Libya crisis, which has seen increasing foreign interference. 
The UN joint report found at least 287 civilians were killed and around 369 others injured last year alone, with airstrikes accounting for 60 per cent of those casualties. 

New attack condemned 

The situation shows no sign of abating as UNSMIL on Monday condemned a missile attack against Mitiga Airport, near Tripoli’s centre.  At least two civilians were injured, while the tarmac and several buildings were damaged. 
“UNSMIL reiterates that attacks against civilian targets, especially public facilities, represent a blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law, and that repeated attacks against Mitiga Airport deprived two million residents in the capital of their only functioning airport,” the mission said in a statement posted on Twitter. 

 Courtesy:UN News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering victims of second World War by UN

8 May 2021 Peace and Security The Second World War had a profound impact on the international community, and established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations. This weekend marks the official remembrance of the tens of millions of civilians and soldiers who died during the conflict. In total, about 40 million civilians, and some 20 million soldiers, lost their lives in the war between 1939 and 1945. On 8 and 9 May, the UN invites its 193 member countries, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, to pay tribute to the victims of the conflict. The date of 8 May was chosen because it is the day the Nazi forces in Germany surrendered in 1945 but, recognizing that UN member states may have their own memorable days associated with the victory over fascism, the General Assembly invited all countries, UN organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals to celebrate either 8 May, 9 May, or both of these days annually as a tribute to all victims of the Sec...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 things you should know about the state of the global economy

5 things you should know about the state of the global economy IMF/Ernesto Benavides Goods are transported by hands in Lima, Peru. 10 May 2021 Economic Development Is this the year we overcome the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic? Are our jobs in danger? Who has lost the most in the crisis and what can be done to recover? As the UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs (DESA) prepares to launch the mid-year update of the 2021 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report, here are five things you need to know about the state of the global economy. Dock workers unload fresh fish from a boat in Casablanca, Morocco.IMF/ Jake Lyell Dock workers unload fresh fish from a boat in Casablanca, Morocco. 1) US and China bounce back, but a slow recovery for developing countries While economic output in the United States and China is expected to grow robustly and lift global growth, many developing economies are not expected to return to pre-pandemic output levels any...
Post a Comment
Read more

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites UN Photo/Mark Garten A sign reads "Love takes courage and determination" at the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Centre was the second of two sites attacked by terrorists on 15 March 2019.         20 March 2020 Peace and Security The United Nations will soon launch a campaign highlighting the personal connections of individuals with religious sites as part of its efforts to protect places of worship around the world.   The campaign is part of the UN Plan of Action to safeguard religious sites, which was launched last September in the wake of a series of horrific attacks, including on mosques in New Zealand, a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, and churches in Sri Lanka.    Developed by the UN Alliance of Civilizations ( UNAOC ), the Plan of Action is complemented by another in...
Post a Comment
Read more