UN condemns ´heinous killing´ of 15 migrants in Libya

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (Manol) condemned on Sunday the "heinous crime of killing at least 15 migrants and asylum seekers" in the city of Sabratha (west), calling for "the perpetrators to be brought to justice."

The bodies of 15 migrants, some of them charred, were found Friday on the coast of Sabratha (70 km from the capital, Tripoli), which is an important departure point for thousands of people who seek to reach the Italian coasts every year.

"11 charred bodies were found inside a moored boat, and four other bodies with injuries were found outside," the mission said in a statement.

"Although the circumstances have not yet been determined, the killings are believed to have resulted from armed between rival human traffickers," she added, calling on the Libyan authorities to "ensure a prompt, independent and transparent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice ."

The mission deplored this tragedy, which "brutally recalls the lack of protection faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, as well as the widespread human rights abuses committed by powerful networks of traffickers and criminals."

According to local media, the migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were shot dead after an argument between smugglers.

The same sources stated that one of the smuggling groups involved in the conflict set the boat on fire on Friday.

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

They are prey to traffickers when they do not die while trying to cross the perilous Mediterranean, while Libya is regularly criticized by NGOs for the mistreatment of migrants.

Two governments have been vying for power in Libya since March with the support of two rival camps in the west and east of the country.

Since the beginning of the year, 14,157 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration published last Monday. 


The organization indicated that at least 216 people died while trying to cross the Mediterranean, and 724 people were missing, who are likely to have died.