Libya discovers mass grave with unidentified bodies
Hopes for a breakthrough to Libya’s political stalemate saw a set back with the recent discovery of a number of bodies buried.
Libyan authorities discovered a mass grave with two dozen unidentified bodies in a former Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold on July 15th, reported the Associated Press.
According to the National Authority for Searching and Identifying Missing People, they recovered 17 of the 24 bodies found under destroyed buildings in the coastal city of Sirte, 450 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli.
They did not provide information about when the grave was created. Photos provided by the agency showed buried remains and bones, with a small corpse wrapped in a piece of white cloth and bones being examined forensically. The agency relocated the bodies to a cemetery locally in Sirte after conducting relevant examinations.
The Libyan authority also said that the forensic medicine department took DNA samples from 59 unidentified bodies for testing on the same day, though it is unclear if those included the two dozen found in Sirte.
READ: UN investigates mass graves at Tunisia-Libya border
Sirte was controlled by the ISIS from the uprising in 2011 until their expulsion in 2016 by US-backed forces. During the Arab Spring, the extremist Islamist group exploited unrest caused by former dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s dethronement and took control of parts of the country.
Political unrest and fighting between different armed groups has left the North African nation battered. Recently hopes were dashed for elections to be held when the UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily, resigned on April 16th, which was seen as latest sign of failing reconciliation efforts in the war-torn country.
Libya has struggled to recover from years of war and instability that followed the 2011 toppling of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, lead by NATO, remaining split between the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli (aligned with Turkey and Qatar), and a rival administration in the eastern city of Benghazi, supported by UAE, Egypt, Russia and to some extent western countries (although not officially).
Many mass graves have been discovered in Libya over recent years, with one being discovered on its border with Tunisia in the same month.
READ: Libya repatriates 174 irregular migrants to Nigeria
Libya is a major transit point for migrants traveling through the Sahara Desert and across the Mediterranean in order to reach Europe. In March 2023, a mass grave with 65 migrant bodies were discovered in southwest Libya.
A U.N. fact-finding mission in Libya has previously found grounds to believe crimes against humanity such as torture have been committed against migrants.
