Security Council condemns 2 July attack on Tripoli detention centre which resulted in 53 killed and over 130 injured

Members of the UN Security Council condemned the attack on the detention centre in the Tajura suburb of Tripoli on 2 July, which resulted in 53 people killed and over 130 injured.

In a press statement released yesterday the Members of the Security Council stressed the need for all parties to urgently de-escalate the situation and to commit to a ceasefire.

The Members of the Security Council further called on all parties rapidly to return to United Nations political mediation and reaffirmed their full support for the leadership of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ghassan Salamé.

Lasting peace and stability in Libya will come only through a political solution, the statement added.  They noted ongoing efforts in support by the African Union, the Arab League and others.

The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Libya and called on the parties to allow full access for humanitarian agencies.

The members said they remain concerned about the conditions in the detention centres which are the responsibility of the Libyan Government.

The members of the Security Council called for full respect for the arms embargo by all Member States, in line with resolution 1970 (2011).

The Members of the Security Council reinforced the importance of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Libya and called on all Member States not to intervene in the conflict or take measures that exacerbate the conflict.

It will be recalled that both the internationally recognized Libyan Presidency Council and Government of National Accord led by Faiez Serraj as well as the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had condemned in the strongest possible terms the Tripoli airstrike.

The airstrike had been attributed by the Serraj government to the Libyan National Army (LNA) Air Force led by Khalifa Hafter.

The LNA has denied responsibility for the attack. They claim that they targeted a militia base near the migrant detention centre and that the explosion caused the migrants’ deaths. The Serraj government is adamant that the Hafter forces deliberately targeted the migrant centre.

It called the attack one of mass murder and a war crime.

There are also widely circulating reports that the migrants were shot at by Serraj-aligned forces when they tried to escape the detention centre.

It will be recalled that the Khalifa Hafter aligned forces had launched an attack on Tripoli on 4 April.