Libya a cesspool of horror, says UN

War crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of child soldiers, have been committed in Libya since 2016, a UN investigation has revealed.

The Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya, established by the UN Human Rights Council, said Europe-bound migrants face abuse in detention centres and at the hands of traffickers, while detainees languishing in horrific jail conditions are tortured.

“There are reasonable grounds to believe war crimes have been committed in Libya, while violence perpetrated in prisons and against migrants may amount to crimes against humanity,” the mission said in a statement.

The report documents the recruitment and direct participation of children as soldiers, plus the enforced disappearance and murder of prominent women.

It establishes that from late 2019, Turkey facilitated the recruitment of Syrian child mercenaries aged 15 to 18 to fight alongside the Government of National Accord’s forces.

The unrest in the north African country has had a dramatic impact on Libyans’ economic, social and cultural rights.

“All parties to the conflicts, including third states, foreign fighters and mercenaries, have violated international humanitarian law … and some have also committed war crimes,” said Mohamed Auajjar, who chaired the mission.