UN Human Rights Office Calls On Libya's GNA To Protect Displaced Residents Of Tawergha

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged on Friday the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Tawergha, a week after Libyan militias forcibly evicted some 1,900 people from a camp on the outskirts of Tripoli.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2018) The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged on Friday the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Tawergha, a week after Libyan militias forcibly evicted some 1,900 people from a camp on the outskirts of Tripoli.

Last week, the Tariq Al Matar camp, which hosted some 370 families who had fled fighting in the town of Tawergha in 2011, was raided by GNA-linked militias. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which cited witnesses, the militia detained 94 people and threatened to rape some of the female residents of the camp, forcing people to abandon their homes. The UNHCR expressed its concern over the incidents on Tuesday, adding that 12 of the detained residents had not been released.

"We call on the Libyan Government of National Accord, the GNA, to take all necessary measures to protect Tawerghan internally displaced persons from further displacement, torture and other human rights violations following last weeks forced eviction of some 1,900 people from an IDP camp in Tripoli," OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a press briefing.

The OHCHR reminded that it was the country's obligation to deal with the problems of displaces persons and prevent further displacement when possible, she added.

Since 2011, the Triq Al Matar IDP settlement has been home to hundreds of families from the town of Tawergha close to Misrata. Tawergha residents, known for their darker skin, were ethnically cleansed from the town after its capture by anti-government militias from Misrata during the Libyan civil war. The residents have been accused of leading the siege of Misrata by forces loyal to late leader Muammar Gaddafi and have since been persecuted and prevented from returning home.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a total of 197,000 Libyans were internally displaced as of 2017 after the breakout of the first civil war in 2011.