By Jamie Prentis.
Tunis, 1 June 2017:
More civilians were killed or injured in May than any other month this year. UNSMIL has reported a total of 68 casualties with 18 deaths and 50 injuries across Libya.
This contrasts with 28 civilians casualties in April though 26 of these were fatalities.
Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) caused five deaths and 20 injuries. Gunfire killed nine and injured six injuries while air strikes accounted for another death and six wounded.
UNSMIL noted that the Soloug car bomb that killed a leader of the Awagir tribe, Braik Ellawati also killed three others including two boys and wounded 15.
On 20 May, the body of a male with a gunshot wound was brought to a Tripoli hospital. The victim’s hands and legs were bound with metal chains. He had reportedly been abducted some 40 days earlier by armed groups in Wirshefana, UNSMIL said. It added that on 21 May, a hospital in the capital also saw the body of a 24 year old man showing torture marks .
The UNSMIL report also cited the Brak Al-Shatti air base massacre in the 18 May attack by Misratan and Islamist forces the Libyan National Army (LNA).
UNSMIL noted that whilst 95 bodies were brought to a local hospital only “a few” injured fighters survived, pointing to the apparent ruthlessness of the Misratan and fighters of the Benghazi Defence Brigades. LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said at the time that 141 soldiers were killed.
UNSMIL said many bodies were brought to the local hospital bearing single gunshot wounds to the head and some were reported to have had their hands bound.
During the assault, at least three civilians were killed driving near the airbase and another three were shot dead inside.
However, reprisals by the LNA were swift, with airstrikes hitting Jufra in the following days. A Nigerian migrant died and another six men were injured in the nearby town of Hun.
Security forces in Bani Walid killed four so-called Islamist State (IS) militants last week, but one local also died. Unconfirmed reports say he died at the hands of IS.
UNSMIL also spoke of the violence that engulfed Tripoli last weekend, saying that at least four civilians were killed in the crossfire, with many more civilians deaths and injuries deaths probable. It said at least 44 combatants were killed and another 54 injured-though militia leaders put the figure higher.
