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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 3 July 2020:
UNSMIL reported yesterday that various UN agencies have documented 130 casualties (75 civilian and 55 clearance operators) in the past five weeks.
The casualties were all victims of booby traps including IEDs, land mines, and ERWs in and around residential areas in southern Tripoli. These are areas that had been under the control of forces aligned to the Khalifa Hafter-led Libyan National Army and their aligned domestic and foreign forces.
Hafter’s forces had been surrounding Tripoli and putting it under a military siege since April 2019. They were pushed back by the forces representing the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tripoli early in June this year.
In its statement on the casualties, UNSMIL said that it provides technical support and advice to the concerned authorities to assist in safely managing access to and clearance of the contaminated areas. It cautioned against unsafe, spontaneous returns of displaced persons in southern Tripoli.
EU to continue supporting Libya in disposal of booby-traps and explosives in south Tripoli
Haftar should publicly renew his 2011 pledge to stop using landmines, destroy his stocks: HRW
