Airstrikes on refugee camp in Libya leave dozens dead and wounded
Media outlets have reported a deadly airstrike in Libya. It is said that a refugee camp near Tripoli was the target of the attack. Officials of the refugee camp have named General Khalifa Haftar as responsible for this deadly strike.
The Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, announced on Tuesday, July 2, that it had carried out several airstrikes on targets in Tripoli and Tajura. It is reported that a refugee camp on the outskirts of Tripoli was also bombed as a result of these strikes.
The German news agency reported on Wednesday, July 3, that at least 40 people were killed and around 80 people were injured from residents of the refugee camp for African countries on the outskirts of the city of Tripoli.
According to published reports, the figures provided regarding the number of casualties of this strike are based on information provided by Libyan government officials to the media.
This is while it is said that the bodies of the victims are still buried under the rubble remaining from these strikes. In other words, the likelihood of an increase in the death toll from this airstrike is assessed as very strong.
Most of those who had been accommodated in the Tajura camp, located near the city of Tripoli, were refugees who had come to Libya from the countries of Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia in hopes of traveling to Europe. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the poor conditions and inhumane circumstances prevailing in refugee camps in Libya.
General Haftar and airstrikes
On Tuesday, July 2, media outlets close to General Khalifa Haftar announced that the Libyan National Army, the army under Haftar’s control, had decided to carry out several airstrikes on Tripoli and surrounding areas.
Therefore, Libyan officials have named General Haftar as responsible for the deadly strike on the African refugee camp in Tajura.
Since April of this year, an internal conflict in Libya has escalated over the struggle for political power. General Haftar, who controls areas in the eastern part of this country, has carried out severe attacks on forces of the army under the control of the government in an attempt to seize Tripoli.
International observers assess the likelihood of a ceasefire and reaching an agreement on a ceasefire between military forces under the control of the Libyan government and forces affiliated with General Khalifa Haftar as very low.
Source: DW
