Airstrike on refugee camp in Libya leaves dozens dead and injured
Media outlets have reported a deadly airstrike in Libya. A refugee camp near Tripoli is said to have been targeted. Camp officials have blamed General Khalifa Haftar for the deadly attack.
On Tuesday, July 2, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar announced several airstrikes on targets in Tripoli and Tajoura. It is said that a refugee camp on the outskirts of Tripoli was also bombed as a result of these attacks.
On Wednesday, July 3, the German news agency reported that at least 40 people were killed and about 80 injured in a refugee camp for Africans on the outskirts of Tripoli.
According to published reports, the statistics provided about the number of victims of this attack are based on information provided to the media by Libyan government officials.
This is despite the fact that the bodies of the victims are still said to be buried under the rubble left by these attacks. In other words, the possibility of increasing the number of casualties from this airstrike is considered very strong.
Most of those housed in the Tajoura camp, located near the city of Tripoli, were refugees from Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia who had come to Libya hoping to travel to Europe. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the chaotic and inhumane conditions prevailing in the 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, was planning to carry out several airstrikes on Tripoli and its surrounding areas.
For this reason, Libyan authorities have declared General Haftar responsible for the deadly attack on the African refugee camp in Tajoura.
Since April of this year, the civil war in Libya has escalated over the acquisition of political power. General Haftar, who dominates the eastern regions of the country, has launched fierce attacks on government-controlled army forces in a bid to capture Tripoli.
International observers consider the likelihood of a ceasefire and reaching an agreement on a ceasefire between the military forces under the control of the Libyan government and the forces affiliated with General Khalifa Haftar to be very low.
Source: DW
