The UN has Declared the Airstrike on Migrants in Libya a War Crime
It is reported that 44 migrants have been killed while 130 injured after an airstrike on a detention center outside of Libya's capital city.
Tajoura Detention Center, which houses approximately 600 migrants, lies just outside of Libya's capital city, Tripoli. The BBC reports that women and children as well as a UN official were among those hit during an airstrike on the detention center which occurred on Tuesday evening.
Libya has been ravaged by war since President Muammar Gaddafi was ousted back in 2011 after a bloody coup. Currently, there are several military and political factions, two of which are led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar.
Africans from the Sub-Saharan region are constantly attempting to flee from their respective countries into Europe through Libya. The resulting migrant crisis has led to numerous detention centers being established as the European Union works with the Libyan coastguard to intercept boats ferrying migrants across treacherous seas.
The United Nations has since described the attack as "amounting to a war crime". Describing the aftermath of the airstrike, an official from Libya's Health Ministry, Dr Khalid Bin Attia, said, "People were everywhere, the camp was destroyed, people are crying here, there is psychological trauma, the lights cut off. We couldn't see the area very clear but just when the ambulance came, it was horrible, blood is everywhere, somebody's guts in pieces."
According to Al Jazeera, whilst not as yet confirmed, General Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA) are reportedly behind the attack as part of their continued attempt to seize Tripoli.
