Libya's Tripoli-based government announced on Tuesday (May 30th) the continuation of an operation against trafficking networks in the west of the country, despite criticism.
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The security operation will continue until its objectives are achieved," the Defense Ministry under the UN-recognized Tripoli government said in a statement.
Success of the "first phase"
At least two people were killed and several others wounded Sunday in airstrikes carried out around Zawiya (west) by the government as part of an operation that officially targets positions of traffickers, according to local media and an elected official of the city. On Thursday, the Defense Ministry announced that it had launched airstrikes against "caches of gangs of fuel, narcotics and human traffickers in the Western Littoral region." In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that "the first phase" of this operation had been carried out "successfully" and that it had "destroyed seven migrant smuggling boats, six drug trafficking depots (...) and nine tanker trucks used for fuel smuggling".
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The ministry defended the "precision" of its strikes, saying it respected "all necessary measures to protect civilians." He called on citizens "to cooperate with the armed forces and stay away from suspicious sites," announcing a "new phase" of the operation. The announcement comes despite criticism in a country where two rival camps, one in Tripoli and the second in the east, have been vying for power amid security chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. On Monday, the east-based parliament denounced the strikes on Zawiya, calling them an operation to "settle political scores rather than fight traffickers as claimed" by the Tripoli government.
The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli said Monday it was "concerned about the use of weapons in areas where civilians are present and the risk of escalating violence." "Libya's leaders must do everything possible to de-escalate (the situation) and protect civilians." London deemed "unacceptable" the use of weapons that "endanger the lives of civilians", calling for "the de-escalation of all those involved".
