Libya: Convictions multiply after attack on Tajoura center - RFI

By RFPosted on 03-07-2019Modified on 03-07-2019 at 23:36

The convictions were unanimous after the strikes on Tuesday night against the Tajoura Migrant Detention Center, which killed at least 44 people. EU, AU and UN Secretary-General request an investigation. Humanitarian organizations and UNHCR reiterated their call for the release of all migrants held in centers in Libya.

According to humanitarian organizations, 70% of migrants in detention centers in Tripoli fall under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as asylum seekers fleeing persecution or conflict. UNHCR spokesperson Paula Barrachina renews her appeal for the release of migrants.

" We are gravely concerned about the people currently in detention in Ta'wa, as well as the plight of 3,800 refugees and migrants detained in detention centers near conflict-affected areas," said Paula. Barrachina. We therefore call for their urgent resettlement, a call for humanitarian evacuation, from Libya to countries able to receive them and grant them the necessary protection. "

Present on the ground in Libya since 2016, Médecins sans Frontieres is calling for the evacuation of refugees and migrants locked up in the center of Tajoura, hit several times.

" For anyone evacuated from a detention center in Libya, nearly three people are stationed there, when Libyan coastguards intercept ships," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, MSF humanitarian affairs advisor. So, it's as if we were fighting against the wind: while we try to empty detention centers from their detainees, we continue to take other people there! "

On his Twitter account, Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR chief on Wednesday urged that migrants and refugees " no longer be detained; civilians must not be targets; Libya is not a safe place for the return of migrants . "

3 key messages after air strikes killed many migrants & refugees at a Libyan detention center: they must NOT be detained; civilians must NOT be a target; Libya is NOT a safe place of return. And of course, states with influence to end conflict, rather than fuel it. https://t.co/rKqOcsy07Q

" Abject " attack, according to Washington

The attack on Tuesday, July 2 against the Tajoura migrants' detention center, in the suburbs of Tripoli, caused at least 44 deaths, according to a new Libyan report. 80 people were injured, according to a Libyan medical official. Doctors Without Borders, who visited the center, counted 126 people in the cell that was hit by the strike. The center shelters between 500 and 600 people all are survivors brought back from the sea by the Libyan coastguard.

Tripoli's national unity government (GNA) attributed the carnage to General Khalifa Haftar's forces, who in turn accused the GNA of " fomenting a plot " to hold them to blame for the killings.

On Wednesday, July 3, Washington denounced an " abject " attack. " These tragic and unnecessary losses, which have hit one of the most vulnerable populations, underscore the urgent need for all Libyan parties to reduce the intensity of fighting and return to a political process ," said the spokeswoman. from the US State Department Morgan Ortagus.

The US strongly condemns the attack on a migrant detention facility in #Tajoura, #Libya. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish to speedy recovery to those injured. All parties must urgently de-escalate and return to the political process. pic.twitter.com/Zb903e6m9s

Unlike the United Nations and the European Union, the United States has not called for an immediate investigation of the raid.

UN chief calls for " independent inquiry "

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres " calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances " of the air strike. We must " ensure that its perpetrators are brought to justice, " he added.

I am outraged by reports of refugees and migrants, including women and children, have been killed and injured by airstrikes on a migrant detention center near Tripoli, Libya.

I condemn this horrendous incident and call for an independent investigation.

AU " strongly condemns " this attack and demands an investigation

The chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned " firmly " Wednesday this air strike. " The president also calls for an independent investigation to ensure that those responsible for the horrific killing of these civilians are accountable, " the statement said. Moussa Faki Mahamat " reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and for the parties (in the conflict) to ensure the protection and safety of civilians, especially migrants trapped in detention centers ," the statement added.

I strongly condemn the air-strike that killed at least 40 innocent migrants in a detention center in #Libya. It is a horrific crime that must be fully investigated. #Migrants caught in the ceasefire must be protected urgently. My full statement here: https://t.co/EovFASboHa

France has also condemned these strikes.

#Libya

We condemn the strikes that have affected, for the second time since the beginning of the offensive in Tripoli, the detention center of Tajoura and which have caused the death of more than 40 migrants and injured more than a hundred.

➛ https://t.co/VelfuYaae0 pic.twitter.com/B16Raj4vpc

►To listen too - Libya: "Both sides know that the issue of migrants is eminently political"

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