EU: Violence in Libya 'utterly unacceptable'

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Violence against civilians -- including refugees and migrants in Libya -- is "utterly unacceptable", the EU said on Wednesday.

"The shocking and tragic attack on a detention centre in Tripoli is a reminder of the human cost of the conflict in Libya as well as the dire and vulnerable situation of migrants caught up in the spiral of violence in the country.

"Violence against civilians, including refugees and migrants, is utterly unacceptable and we deplore it in the strongest terms," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and Commissioners Johannes Hahn and Dimitris Avramopoulos.

In a statement, they called on all sides to respect international humanitarian law and to allow unconditional access of humanitarian actors.

Earlier, Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) accused forces loyal to East Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar of killing migrants staying at a shelter in the capital Tripoli.

At least 80 migrants were also reportedly wounded in the attack in an eastern suburb of Tripoli.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.