Attachments
BACKGROUND
Since the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in 2011, Libya has been locked in a political conflict characterized by a governance vacuum, disintegrating public services and violations of international humanitarian law. Terrorist groups and armed militias have exploited the turmoil and used the country as a base for radicalization and organized crime. Thus far, the conflict has defied national and international efforts to find a political solution.
For civilians, the effect of the crisis has been incalculable. At the height of the conflict, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and thousands more were killed or injured. The weaponization of vital services deprived millions of people of water and electricity, including at the peak of summer when temperatures routinely exceeded 40°C. Health care facilities came under attack, forcing many centres to suspend services or close altogether. In 2019, more people were killed in Libya by attacks on healthcare facilities than in any other country worldwide. The conflict was also marked by egregious violations of humanitarian rights. Thousands of migrants and refugees were rounded up and held indefinitely in dire conditions in illegal detention centres. Atrocities committed included mass killings. In 2020, the discovery of at least eight mass graves, most of them in Tarhouna, prompted calls from the UN Secretary-General for a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.