By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 3 May 2016:
Sirte is a humanitarian catastrophe, according to a resident who managed to leave three days . . .[restrict]ago and get to Tripoli.
There are dire shortages of food, money and medicine – and the situation, together with fears of an imminent attack by the Libyan National Army or Misratan-led forces, or both, is pushing the town’s remaining residents to flee, the Libya Herald has been told.
According to the resident, the so-called Islamic State (IS/Daesh) which controls the town, has now set up a women’s unit who have ben going round house to check to see if people have satellite TV or any printed material that could be deemed haram.
Moreover, anyone now wanting to leave Sirte abandon all their belongings, the resident said. IS has said that those leaving everything behind. “If they leave, Daeash confiscates everything. They sell the TVs, the electronic goods, anything they can remove. They want the money.”
Given the situation, most people in Sirte were desperate to leave, he added. “But once they have decided to flee, they must lose everything.”
Meanwhile, the Libyan news agency LANA has confirmed earlier reports that IS gunmen had closed roads to the east, west and south of Sirte. Filling them with sand barriers. [/restrict]
