A Sudanese migrant was killed by gunshot on Thursday in Tripoli, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM), whose staff witnessed the tragedy. It said the death occurred at the Abusitta Disembarkation point in Tripoli, where 103 migrants had just disembarked and were resisting being taken back to detention centres. A group of armed men began shooting in the air when several migrants tried to run away from their guards. The Sudanese migrant was hit in the stomach and died despite receiving immediate medical care on site from IOM staff.
The man was part of a group of migrants who had just been brought back to shore by the Libyan Coast Guard, which in the past five days has rescued nearly 500 people and brought them back on land. "The use of live bullets against unarmed vulnerable civilians, men, women and children alike, is unacceptable under any circumstances," said IOM Spokesperson Leonard Doyle. IOM said the Sudanese man's death is "a stark reminder of the grim conditions faced by migrants picked up by the Coast Guard after paying smugglers to take them to Europe, only to find themselves put into detention centers", where conditions are "inhumane", as denounced by the UN.
IOM estimates 5,000 migrants, including women and children, remain detained in Libya, while over 3,000 are detained in areas of active conflict between government forces and those of General Khalifa Haftar.
The European Commission (EC) said it is "deeply saddened" and "strongly condemns the tragic death of the Sudanese migrant, killed after disembarkation in Libya".
Through a spokesperson, the EC said it is "unacceptable that bullets are fired on unarmed citizens".
