TUNIS: The UN has said it is “appalled” by apparent retaliatory killings in Libya following reports of eight bodies found in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Derna.
Five bodies were found in Benghazi’s Laithi neighborhood on Friday, residents told Reuters. Pictures posted on social media appeared to show the bodies, bloodied and mutilated, lying in the dirt.
The pictures could not be independently verified, and security officials in Benghazi declined to comment.
In Derna, 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of Benghazi, the bodies of three people who appeared to have been summarily killed were found dumped in the city on Thursday, medical sources said.
“UNSMIL is appalled by new reports of retribution killings in Libya,” the UN’s Libya mission, UNSMIL, said on its Twitter account.
“The brutal pattern of violence must end. Those in effective control of fighters and those ordering, committing such crimes are liable under international law.”
The reports came after a twin car bombing in Benghazi left 35 people dead and dozens injured on Tuesday, and on Wednesday pictures and video emerged purporting to show the summary execution of 10 prisoners outside the mosque where the bombing took place.
Benghazi is controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA), the dominant force in eastern Libya. It is led by Khalifa Haftar and fought Islamists and other opponents in Benghazi from 2014 until late last year as part of a wider conflict that developed in Libya after a 2011 uprising.
Notes had been left with the bodies found in Benghazi accusing the victims of militant Islamist loyalties, said residents, who did not want to be named for security reasons.
There have been a number of cases of bodies with gunshot wounds and showing signs of abuse found in Benghazi in areas under LNA control.
In Derna, the LNA has long been battling the Derna Mujahideen Shoura Council (DMSC), an armed alliance that controls the city.
The DMSC said it had arrested three people earlier this week for allegedly plotting attacks on behalf of the LNA. A Derna resident said the three were the same men whose bodies were found on Thursday.
The DMSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UN concern over bodies dumped in east Libyan cities
UN concern over bodies dumped in east Libyan cities
Morocco deploys army to help evacuate thousands after floods
- More than 20,000 people had been moved to shelter and camps by Saturday
- Authorities set up sandbags and temporary barriers in flood-prone districts as waters began to recede
RABAT: Morocco has deployed army rescue units to help with the evacuation of thousands of people after floods triggered by torrential rains and rising river levels hit parts of the country’s northwest, state TV reported on Saturday.
Weeks of heavy rainfall, combined with water releases from a nearly full dam nearby, increased water levels in the Loukous River and flooded several neighborhoods in the city of Ksar Kbir, about 190 km (118 miles) north of the capital Rabat, a national flood follow-up committee said.
More than 20,000 people had been moved to shelter and camps by Saturday, official media reported.
Authorities set up sandbags and temporary barriers in flood-prone districts as waters began to recede.
Schools in Ksar Kbir have been ordered to remain closed until February 7 as a precaution.
In the nearby province of Sidi Kacem, the Sebou River’s rising levels prompted evacuations from several villages as authorities raised vigilance levels.
The abundant rainfall ended a seven-year drought that drove the country to invest heavily in desalination plants.
The average dam-filling rate has risen to 60 percent, with several major reservoirs reaching full capacity, according to official data.
Last month, 37 people were killed in flash floods in the Atlantic coastal city of Safi, south of Rabat.
