Clashes expose Libya’s civilian safety crisis

Armed clashes in Al-Zawiya forced the shutdown of Libya’s largest functioning refinery and left civilians dead or injured after fighting spread through residential areas, as reported by Libya Crimes Watch and agencies on May 8th.

The crisis was caused by an armed conflict in the western city of Al-Zawiya. The Zawiya refinery shut down operations after fighting was reported near the facility, before resuming full activity on May 10th.

Two civilians were killed while a woman was injured after shells struck homes in several areas of the city while ambulance access and evacuation efforts were also obstructed during the violence, adding a direct humanitarian issue to the ongoing conflict.

This pushed the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to condemn the clashes and warn that the use of heavy weapons and indiscriminate gunfire in populated areas placed civilians at grave risk.

Reportedly, two shells hit an aviation kerosene tank located in Zawiya oil depot as a result of the clashes, according to Brega Oil Marketing Company.

The city is a strategic point as it is located west of Tripoli close to key oil facilities and trade routes towards Tunisia, which have repeatedly been affected by rival armed activity.

Local security forces launched a major operation after clashes in several parts of the city with specific attention to the area around the refinery as a further security measure and as a means of de-escalation.

Without accountable command structures and enforceable law adequate to protect civilians, armed groups can still turn a city into a battlefield and cause damage to a national energy facility.

Libya Crimes Watch plus agencies, UNSMIL, Libya Observer, Maghrebi.org