The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has demanded the closure of migrant detention centres in Libya. He claimed that human right violations are constantly being committed against migrants in those centres.
In a report submitted to the Security Council, Guterres said: “Nothing can justify the horrendous conditions under which refugees and migrants are detained in Libya. I renew my appeal to the Libyan authorities… to fulfil their obligations under international law, and to close all detention centres, in close coordination with United Nations entities,” he said.
The Secretary-General’s report claimed that more than 2,780 people were being detained as of July 31st, in centres across Libya. Twenty-two percent of these detainees were children. “Children should never be detained, particularly when they are unaccompanied or separated from their parents,” Guterres said. He urged the Libyan authorities to ensure the protection of children, so that “long-term solutions” are achieved.
The UN head cited reports of torture, forced disappearances, as well as sexual and gender-based violence being committed by those running the facilities. He also mentioned a reported lack of food and healthcare facilities. “Men and boys are routinely threatened with violence, when they call their families, to pressure them to send ransom money,” he wrote. “Migrants and refugees have been shot at when they attempted to escape, resulting in injuries and deaths,” the report said. The report also claims that some are even “left on the streets or bushes to die” when they are deemed too weak to survive.
Guterres added that migrants are forced to work in weapons and ammunition depots, while others are forced to repair firearms for armed groups.
More than a year after a July 2019 airstrike killed more than 50 migrants at a detention centre near Tripoli, no one has been forced to account for the deaths, Guterres said.
Civil war broke out in Libya after the toppling of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Numerous militias are fighting for power and influence in the country, with Tripoli-aligned militias backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy. Meanwhile, eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, France and Russia.