TRIPOLI: Grave human rights violations have been committed during clashes in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, with disastrous consequences for civilians, a UN report said yesterday.
The warning came from the UN mission in Tripoli (UNSMIL) and UN rights office only days after Libya’s outgoing government admitted from its safe refuge in the east that it has effectively lost control of the capital to armed militias.
The report accused the combatants of “indiscriminate shelling and attacks on civilian objects, the shelling of hospitals, the abduction of civilians, torture and unlawful killings”, including of women and children.
“Dozens of civilians were reportedly abducted in Tripoli and Benghazi solely for their actual or suspected tribal, family or religious affiliation, and have remained missing since the time of their abduction,” it said.
The United Nations agencies appealed to all parties to prioritise the protection of civilians.
“All armed groups must desist from violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, in particular all acts that may amount to war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling, enforced disappearances, murder, abductions, torture and other ill-treatment, and destruction of property,” it said.
Tripoli has witnessed heavy fighting in recent weeks between militias, mostly Islamists and nationalists, for control of the city’s international airport.
AFP
