By Sami Zaptia.
London, 24 August 2020:
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its concerns at what it referred to as ‘‘on-going developments’’ in the city of al-Asabaa and neighbouring localities.
Asabaa is in the Western / Nefousa mountains about 123 km south of Tripoli.
These on-going developments, UNSMIL said, include reports of one civilian killed, a number of arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as the apparent forced locked-down of the city at a time when the civilian population is already under strain.
UNSMIL called for an immediate de-escalation and for all involved to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including to allow full freedom of movement and immediate access to health facilities. It urged for due process to be respected, for those arrested to be handed over to relevant judicial institutions and for those who are arbitrarily detained to be released immediately.
Analysis
It will be recalled that the ‘‘Joint Force’’ aligned to the internationally recognized Libyan government led by Faiez Serraj, had confirmed yesterday that it had launched ‘‘a large-scale security operation’’ in and around Asabaa, Mizda and the surrounding areas on dawn on Saturday. It claimed that its aim was ”to enforce security and arrest a number of wanted men in the area’’.
‘‘The Joint Force of the Western Region Operations Room has deployed its elements in a number of positions in accordance with the first phase of a comprehensive security plan aimed at demonstrating security in the areas of mountain top’’, it had added.
They claim they are seeking the arrest of well-known criminals and murderers from Tarhuna that have sought refuge in the Asabaa area.
However, locals have claimed that the pro-Tripoli forces have been rough handed, indiscriminately arresting almost all youth in the area and forcing a total lockdown. They say the moves are political as the area is, on the whole, politically opposed to the Tripoli regime and supported Khalifa Hafter and his LNA during his year-long control of the area. The area is also known to still openly support the former Qaddafi regime.
