Libya migrant centre attack may amount to war crime: UN envoy

New York: The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday amid angry global reaction after an air strike hit a migrant detention centre killing 44 people and wounding 130 others. The United Nations envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, condemned the air raid in the capital Tripoli saying it “clearly could constitute a war crime”.

The attack in the early hours of Wednesday intensified concerns about the European Union’s policy of teaming up with Libyan militias to block refugees and migrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea, which often leaves them at the mercy of brutal traffickers, or stranded in horrible conditions inside squalid detention centres near the front lines.

It could also lead to greater pressure on renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces launched an offensive to seize the capital in April.

The Tripoli-based UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) blamed pro-Haftar forces of carrying out the attack on the detention camp.

According to the UN Support Mission in Libya, the air raid killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 130.

“The absurdity of this ongoing war today has led this odious bloody carnage to its most hideous and most tragic consequences,” it said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation of the “outrageous” bombing.

His spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general condemns “this horrendous incident in the strongest terms” and wants to ensure the perpetrators of the attack are brought to justice. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors but diplomats said the US prevented the 15-member body from issuing a statement condemning the incident and calling for a ceasefire.