8 mass graves discovered

CAPE TOWN: Eight mass graves have been discovered in an area retaken from Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Tarhuna, south of Tripoli, according to British daily news publication the Guardian.

The graves were found by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tarhuna, an area that was one of Haftar’s last strongholds in western Libya.

According to the GNA, the location was used as the main launch pad for the LNA’S offensive to wrest control of the seat of government from the GNA.

The GNA said the remains were those of its captured soldiers as well as civilians, reported news broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The Guardian reported that no estimate of the number of dead has been made public, but one grave contained at least 15 bodies. Some graves were said to contain entire families.

The UN Support Mission in Libya has expressed “horror” at the discovery of the graves, saying that according to international law, the authorities should conduct a prompt, transparent and effective investigation into reports of extrajudicial killings.

On Twitter, the mission said it welcomed the decision of the GNA’S minister of justice to form a committee to investigate the discovery of the graves.

“We call on the members of this committee to start working to protect mass grave sites from tampering, to identify the victims and the causes of death, and to return the bodies to their families,” the mission said. Oilrich Libya has been marred by conflict since the ousting of former long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Two centres of power emerged: the Un-recognised GNA and the eastern-based House of Representatives led by Haftar. | ANA