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Young refugees detained in a detention center in Libya said they were targeted by militias heading towards Tripoli, during an attack that left at least two dead and around 20 wounded.
Phone footage extracted illegally from the camp and transmitted to the Guardian highlights the growing humanitarian crisis in centers set up to prevent refugees and migrants from crossing the sea off the North African coast to Europe.
The images show people terrorized in the corners of a shed, while shots are heard and others who appear to have been injured are lying on improvised stretchers.
The Tuesday shootout at Qasr bin Ghashir detention center, 20 km south of Tripoli, is said to be the first time a militia raids such a building and opens fire.
Witnesses said that men, women and children were praying together when soldiers, according to them, were part of the forces of strong man Khalifa Haftar, who are advancing in the Libyan capital. in an attempt to overthrow the UN-backed government, stormed the detention center. and asked people to put back their phones.
When the occupiers refused, the soldiers started firing, according to the accounts. Telephones are the only connection to the outside world for many detention centers.
Amnesty International has called for the opening of a war crimes investigation. "This incident demonstrates the urgent need for all refugees and migrants to be immediately released from these horrific detention centers," said organization spokeswoman Magdalena Mughrabi.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has declared a video evidence review by his doctors concluded that the injuries were consistent with gunshot wounds. "These observations are also corroborated by numerous testimonies from refugees and migrants who have witnessed the event and who have reported being brutally and indiscriminately attacked with the help of firearms" , said a statement.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it evacuated 325 people from the detention center after the incident. According to a statement, firearms were reportedly fired and 12 people were "physically attacked" who required treatment at the hospital, but none were shot and wounded.
"The dangers for refugees and migrants in Tripoli have never been greater than they are today," said Matthew Brook, deputy chief of mission of the refugee agency in Libya. "It is essential that refugees at risk can be released and evacuated safely."
The Guardian has previously revealed the existence of a network of 26 Libyan detention centers in which approximately 6,000 refugees would be detained. Children said they were starved, beaten and abused by police and camp guards in Libya. The United Kingdom contributes to the financing of humanitarian aid provided in the centers by NGOs and by the International Organization for Migration.
Qasr bin Ghashir is at the forefront of escalating the battle in Libya between rival armed forces. Refugee children in the camp started sending SOS messages earlier this month saying, "The war is on. We are in a bad situation. "
In WhatsApp messages sent Tuesday to the Guardian, some of the refugee children said: "Until now no one came here to help us. No organizations. Please, please, please, lots of blood coming out of people. Please, we are in dangerous conditions, please, world, please, we are in danger. "
Many children and young people in detention centers have fled the persecution in Eritrea and can not return. Many have also tried to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy, but have been repelled by Libyan coast guards, who receive funding from the EU.
Giulia Tranchina, a lawyer specializing in immigration law in London, has been ringing the alarm for months on the plight of refugees in the centers. "I have been in touch with seven refugees at Qasr Bin Gashir since last September. Many are sick and starving, "she said.
"All tried to flee through the Mediterranean towards Italy, but were turned back to the detention center by the Libyan coastguard. Some had already been imprisoned by traffickers in Libya for one to two years. UNHCR has recognized many genuine refugees. "
Tranchina collected statements from a man who had escaped from the center after the militia started firing. "We were praying in the shed. The women joined us for prayer. The guards came in and told us to hand over our phones, "he said.
"When we refused, they started shooting. I saw gunshot wounds to the head and neck. I think that without immediate medical treatment, these people would die.
"I am now in a corrugated iron shack in Tripoli with a few other people who have escaped, including three women with young children. Many were left behind and we learned that they were locked up. "
A spokesman for the British government said: "We are deeply concerned by reports of violence at the Qasr Ben Ghashir detention center, and call on all parties to allow civilians, including refugees and migrants, to Be evacuated safely. "
• Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières and other NGOs are suing the French government to stop the donation of six boats to the Libyan navy, saying they will be used to return migrants to detention centers. EU support to the Libyan Coast Guard, which is part of the Navy, has allowed it to intercept migrants and asylum seekers bound for Europe. The legal action requests a suspension of the donation of the boat, claiming that it would violate an EU embargo on the supply of military equipment to Libya.
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