United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Haftar, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libya's U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Haftar's forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The intensified fighting has forced nearly 24,000 people to flee their homes in the last week, according to U.N. humanitarian officials.

Source: Libya Today June 13, 2020 11:59 UTC