UN condemns ‘heinous murder’ of 15 migrants in Libya

#Other countries : The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (Manul) on Sunday condemned the “heinous murder of at least 15 migrants and asylum seekers” in the Libyan town of Sabratha (west), calling for “translating the perpetrators into justice”.

Fifteen bodies of migrants, some of them charred, were discovered on Friday on the coast of Sabratha (70 km from the capital Tripoli), an important point of departure for thousands of people who seek to reach the Italian coasts each year.

“Eleven charred bodies were found inside a moored boat and four other bodies with injuries were found outside,” Manul said in a statement.

“Although the exact circumstances remain to be determined, the killings are believed to have resulted from armed clashes between rival traffickers”, according to the UN, which urged the Libyan authorities to “guarantee a prompt, independent and transparent investigation to bring all perpetrators to justice. justice”.

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This tragedy “brutally recalls the lack of protection faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, as well as the widespread human rights violations perpetrated by powerful networks of traffickers and criminals”, deplored the UN mission.

According to local media, these migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were killed Thursday by gunfire following an argument between smugglers.

One of the smuggling groups involved in the dispute then set fire to the boat on Friday, according to the same sources.

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The chaos that followed the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 made Libya a preferred route for tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Arab countries and South Asia, eager to arrive in Europe via Italy.

These migrants are the prey of traffickers, when they do not die while attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean, and Libya is regularly singled out by NGOs for the ill-treatment inflicted on them.

Two governments supported by two rival camps, in western and eastern Libya, have been vying for power since March.

Since the beginning of the year, 14,157 migrants have been intercepted and brought back to Libya, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published last Monday. At least 216 people have died attempting the Mediterranean crossing and 724 are missing and presumed dead, according to the IOM.