Libya's Tripoli government says 30 migrants killed in revenge attack

A group of migrants rescued by Libyan Coastal Guard after a boat sank off the city of Al-Khoms, Libya on 25 July 2019 [Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency]

The family of a Libyan people trafficker killed 30 migrants in revenge for his death, Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

The GNA interior ministry said in a statement that 26 Bangladeshi and four African migrants had been killed in the town of Mizda and that 11 injured survivors were taken to a hospital in Zintan.

Libya has long been a destination for migrants because of its oil-funded economy, but is also an important way-station for people attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean.

“We have just learned of this tragedy and are following up to get more details and provide assistance to survivors,” said Safa Msehli, Libya spokeswoman for the International Organisation for Migration.

READ: Russia supports ceasefire in Libya

Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.