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The United Nations (UN) has condemned an attack on a UN facility in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, where migrants were present.
Videos circulating on social media showed people forcing their way into an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) service centre, ransacking furniture and driving occupants out.
“The United Nations in Libya strongly condemns the repeated incidents that occurred this morning on the premises of the service centre managed by one of the UN agencies in Tripoli,” the IOM said in a statement late Monday.
The UN said Libyan authorities had responded to the incident and were investigating the “deeply aggressive acts” against staff and people accessing humanitarian services.
It warned that such incidents “must not be repeated.”
Tensions over migrants and alleged plans to permanently settle them in Libya have increased in recent months.
Protesters have repeatedly gathered outside UN agencies, including the IOM and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), demanding that their offices be shut and staff expelled.
The UN urged the public to rely on “reliable and verified information” when discussing the issue. It also reaffirmed its commitment to working with Libyan authorities and local communities.
Libya has faced prolonged instability since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and remains divided between rival governments. The country’s instability has also allowed smugglers and traffickers to operate networks transporting migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea.
