US Thwarts UN Security Council Condemnation of Attack on Libya Migrant Centre
DW
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
The UN Security Council held a closed emergency session on Wednesday to draft a response to the killing of at least 44 people in an air strike on a migrant and refugee detention centre.
Peruvian ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, who is currently president of the council, said a statement was due, but there was still no agreement on the text.
"We will have a press statement, but we are still discussing it," Meza-Cuadra said.
Satellite imagery of the aftermath of the airstrike that hit the migrant centre in Tripoli, Libya. Photo: Handout via Reuters
The air strike hit the Tajoura detention centre in the suburbs of Tripoli on Wednesday. Libya's Tripoli-based government, which is backed by the UN, has blamed the attack on rival Libyan National Army forces loyal to rogue General Khalifa Hiftar.
During a two-hour closed-door meeting of the Security Council, Britain circulated a statement that condemned the air strike and called for a ceasefire.
According to diplomatic sources, the US prevented the fifteen-member Security Council from issuing a statement, although it was unclear why.
A US State Department statement released in Washington earlier had condemned the "abhorrent" air strike but did not call for a truce.
Nearby military target
The UN and the EU have both urged an investigation into the attack.
Hiftar's forces said they were targeting a nearby military site, rather than the detention centre. Other countries suspected of alignment with his command include Russia, as well as US allies Egypt and the UAE.
Also read: Libya’s Struggle for Oil Belies a Bigger Concern: Water
As night fell, the International Organisation for Migration said an estimated 250 migrants remained at Tajoura.
Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the UNHCR refugee agency, said the detention centre's proximity to the military depot "made it a target for the airstrikes."
"Coordinates of this detention centre were well-known to both sides of the conflict," Yaxley said, adding that the UNHCR was sending medical teams to the site
This article was originally published on DW.
This article went live on July fourth, two thousand nineteen, at nineteen minutes past twelve at noon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.