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By Seraj Essul.
Tripoli, 23 July 2014:
The government has set up a crisis committee to deal with residents from . . .[restrict]Gasr Ben Gashir who have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting and missile strikes at Tripoli International Airport.
The district, which sits on the airport’s northern most boundary, has taken the brunt of fighting between Zintani and Misratan militias over the last week, forcing most of its inhabitants to leave for their own safety. Friends and families in Tripoli have been taking them in. But others have been left homeless.
The clashes, comprised predominantly of long range exchanges of grad missiles, have caused damage to dozens of homes in the area. Reports have also emerged of the deaths of a number of civilians.
The crisis committee has been formed of ministers from the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs, Economy, Local Government and Utilities. It will coordinate with the Mayor of Gasr Ben Gashir to ensure that those now homeless have their needs addressed.
The government is to provide food, shelter and rehousing for those who have no homes to return to. The committee is also to assess the damage in the area and provide compensation.
One of the civil society organisations helping to ease suffering in Gasr Ben Gashir is Youth for Tripoli, a coalition of youth NGOs and charities from across the capital. As well as providing food and water, the organisation has also started building a field hospital to treat the injured.
On Monday the Ministry of Health released figures detailing the casualties over the past week’s deadly airport clashes, up to and including Saturday. A total of 47 dead and 120 wounded have been received at hospitals in the capital and surrounding areas as a result of the fighting.
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