By Sami Zaptia.
London, 9 April 2020:
The Faiez Serraj aligned Interior Ministry condemned the shut-down of water supplies to the Greater Tripoli and the Western region, including the Bani Walid and Tarhuna, deemed pro Hafter areas. It attributed the act to Khalifa Hafter and his allies – despite some conflicting evidence.
It will be recalled that Man-made River water supplies pumped from Libya’s south to its coastal areas was cut off by an armed group two days ago ostensibly with personal grievances. The supply is still off as this article goes to publication.
The Interior Ministry stated that cutting water supplies was yet another crime committed by the ‘‘war criminal’’ Hafter and another human rights, domestic and international law violation.
It said that the deliberate cutting of water supplies to civilians indicates Hafter’s criminality as a war criminal. It also added that cutting the water supply during the Coronavirus pandemic could lead to a disaster during the Libya-wide curfew when people were in need of water most.
The Interior Ministry called on the international parties and human rights organizations to document this crime and follow-up on its perpetrators as prescribed by international law and UN Security Council Libya resolutions.
It will also be recalled that Tripoli has suffered a total blackout and extensive power cuts over the last two days as well as having to contend with a Coronavirus curfew and bombing by pro Hafter forces.
