- UN received reports from a detention center about breaches by armed actors
- Numerous African migrants pass by Libya as they flee to Europe
BENGHAZI: The UN says the fighting in Libya’s capital has reached a detention center holding hundreds of detained migrants and refugees.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said Tuesday that the UN aid agency has received reports that the Qasr Ben Ghashir detention center, holding some 890 refugees and migrants, was “breached by armed actors.” The facility is 20 kilometers south of central Tripoli.
The UN says some 3,600 refugees and migrants are held in facilities near the front lines of fighting between the self-styled Libyan National Army and other heavily-armed militias.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. Thousands have been detained by armed groups and smugglers.