Almost one year after Muammar Gaddafi's death [1], his former stronghold and heart of the Warfalla tribe, the town of Bani Walid, seems about to fall under the attacks of the Lybian army. Some sources [2] [it] define its two week bloody siege as a ‘small genocide’. The operation is lead by armed militias and Islamist forces of Benghazi and Misratah, long time enemies of the Warfalla. It seems that medical and other essential supplies are now being prevented from entering the city, which is under rocket and mortar fire [3] with some reports [4] of toxic gas use. Twitter updates are under the #BANIWALID [5] hashtag, while the International community seems unaware and/or disregarding this “cleansing” operation, which is clearly causing severe suffering [6] to local population.
Libya: Bani Walid under violent siege
· Written by Davide Galati Translated by Davide Galati
Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Libya, Citizen Media, Human Rights, Humanitarian Response, War & Conflict