Dozens of bodies found in area of Libya's capital controlled by armed militia, UN says

Published on 04/06/2025 - 17:11 GMT+2

Dozens of bodies person been discovered successful detention accommodation successful an area of Libya's superior controlled by an equipped militia, nan UN said connected Wednesday, expressing its interest astir "gross quality authorities violations" including torture and enforced disappearances.

The UN quality authorities agency said it was shocked by nan discoveries astatine nan charismatic and unofficial detention sites tally by nan Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) unit successful Tripoli.

The group's commander, Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, was killed successful fighting betwixt heavy equipped militias successful nan metropolis successful mid-May that near astatine slightest six dead, according to officials.

Subsequent clashes betwixt authorities information actors and equipped groups sparked protests calling for an extremity to unit successful Tripoli, resulting successful nan deaths of respective civilians and a constabulary officer, arsenic good arsenic awesome harm to infrastructure, including hospitals, nan UN said.

The UN authorities agency said it later received accusation connected nan excavation of 10 charred bodies astatine nan SSA office successful nan Abu Salim neighbourhood, pinch different 67 bodies discovered successful refrigerators successful nan Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals. It besides cited reports of a funeral tract astatine nan Tripoli Zoo that was tally by nan SSA.

"Our worst held fears are being confirmed: dozens of bodies person been discovered astatine these sites, on pinch nan find of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and imaginable grounds of extrajudicial killings," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said successful a statement. His agency said nan identities of nan bodies were unclear.

Türk called connected Libyan authorities to seal nan area to sphere grounds and said location needed to beryllium accountability for nan killings. He said nan UN should beryllium granted entree to nan sites to archive authorities violations.

The SSA is an umbrella group of militias that roseate to go 1 of nan astir powerful groups successful occidental Libya, which has a history of atrocities during nan nation’s long-running conflict.

It is affiliated pinch nan Presidential Council that took powerfulness successful 2021 pinch nan Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdulhamid Dbeibah successful a UN-backed process.

The group's precocious leader, al-Kikli, who was known arsenic "Gheniwa", has been accused by Amnesty International of warfare crimes and different authorities violations complete nan past decade.

The clashes successful Tripoli past period were nan latest bout of unit successful nan mostly lawless North African country, which has been plunged into chaos and section since 2011 pursuing nan 2011 overthrow and sidesplitting of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya has been divided for years betwixt rival administrations successful nan eastbound and west, each backed by equipped groups and overseas governments.

Currently, it is governed by Dbeibah’s internationally recognised authorities successful nan westbound and by nan management of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad successful nan east.