Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) documented on Thursday, 23 October, that at least eleven (11) civilians, including four migrants and one child, were injured with varying degrees of severity due to random gunfire and shell fragments. Several civilian buildings were also damaged during armed clashes that broke out in the residential areas of Al-Sakt and Al-Ghiran, south of Misrata, between the Joint Operations Force (JOF) and Battalion 24, both affiliated with the Government of National Unity (GNU).
LCW holds the GNU fully responsible for these clashes and stresses that conducting hostilities within populated areas constitutes a grave violation of the principles of international humanitarian law (IHL). It further reflects the persistent state of impunity that continues to encourage the recurrence of such violations.
LCW calls on the Libyan Attorney General to open an urgent and independent investigation into the clashes and the resulting harm, to identify those responsible for endangering civilian lives, and to ensure their accountability in line with international fair trial standards. Immediate measures should also be taken to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
