UN calls for ceasefire in Libya as death toll rises to 1,000

The UN Security Council on Friday called for a ceasefire in Libya, the toll of a three-month offensive in Tripoli rising to 1,000, including a large number of people killed during an air strike in a detention center for migrants.

The council condemned the attack Tuesday night against the Tajoura detention camp east of Tripoli and "stressed the need for all parties to urgently defuse the situation and to engage in favor of a ceasefire, "says a joint statement.

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya and much of the country's south, launched an offensive in early April to control the capital against forces loyal to the UN-recognized national government. .

Since then, airstrikes and ground fighting have left nearly 1,000 dead and nearly 5,000 wounded, the UN World Health Organization (UNO) said.

The fighting has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes and threaten to plunge Libya into a deeper conflict.

Among the dead are 53 migrants killed Tuesday night during an air raid on a detention center located in the suburb of Tripday in Tajoura, held by the GNA, which accused the Haftar forces of having led the strike.

A spokesman for the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration said six children were among the migrants killed.

Joel Millman said that 350 migrants, including 20 women and four children, were still held in the center, one of five air sheds hit during the raid.

The world powers have been divided on how to react to Haftar's offensive. The United States and Russia have refused to condemn the strong Libyan man.

The statement of the British Council condemned the attack on the migrant camp, called for the resumption of political discussions and full compliance with the arms embargo imposed on Libya.

She followed a closed-door council meeting Wednesday in which US diplomats said they needed more time to consult Washington on the proposed text.

The United Nations has called for an independent investigation to determine the strike leader in the center, which was home to around 600 migrants, mostly from African countries.

UN shared contact information

United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups have repeatedly expressed concern over the tragic plight of thousands of migrants and refugees held in detention centers near the capital's fighting areas.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed outrage at the attack and said the United Nations had communicated the detention center's details to the warring parties in order to protect civilians.

The carnage in Tajoura was "a tragedy that should never have happened," said Charlie Yaxley, spokesman for the UN refugee agency.

Libya has become an important vector for migrants seeking to reach Europe and remains the prey of many militias vying for control of the country's oil wealth.

Human rights groups say that migrants are being horribly abused in Libya and that their fate has worsened since Haftar launched the offensive against Tripoli.

According to the UN, some 5,700 refugees and migrants are currently detained in detention centers in Libya, of which 3,300 are at risk of fighting in and around Tripoli.

Plane shot down

In early April, during a first blitz, the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army of Haftar headed towards the capital. But they have since become bogged down in its southern suburbs, where the front lines have been frozen for months.

The GNA forces launched a surprise counterattack at the end of last month, seizing the strategic city of Gharyan, Haftar's main supply base of the offensive.

After the setback, Haftar's forces threatened to step up the strikes against their rivals.

Both parties launched daily air raids throughout the fighting and each lost several aircraft.

Soldiers loyal to Haftar announced last Thursday that they shot down a GNA jet near the town of Tarhuna, used by the LNA as a rear base 80 km southeast of Tripoli.

A spokesman for GNA said that they had lost contact with Albatross L39, who was participating in a combat mission south of the capital, without giving further details.

The rival camps remained convinced that with the help of their sponsors, they can win the battle.

The GNA receives support from Turkey and Qatar, and Haftar is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and, according to experts, to some extent by the United States.