New mass grave found in Libya's Tarhuna

By Mohammad Erteima

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Libyan authorities discovered a new mass grave in the southwestern city of Tarhuna, a former stronghold for warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The new grave was found in a large agricultural area known as Mashrou' Alzerai in the city, the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons said in a statement.

The authority said its teams will exhume the grave on Sunday, without giving any further details.

On Monday, Libyan authorities announced the discovery of two mass graves in the same area.

Since June last year, 81 mass graves were found in different areas of Tarhuna.

According to Anadolu Agency figures, 248 corpses were exhumed from mass graves in Tarhuna since Haftar’s defeat in June 2020.

In March, Libyan authorities said they have lists of 3,650 missing people in different Libyan cities, including 350 missing persons in Tarhuna.

According to Libyan official sources, Haftar’s forces and affiliated militias committed war crimes and acts of genocide in the period between April 2019 and June 2020.

On March 16, a new transitional unity government headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was elected to lead the country to elections this December.

Libyans hope that the move will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara