Amnesty Accuses Libya’s SSA of Violations Against Migrants, Refugees

A security patrol of the Stability Support Apparatus imposes security in Tripoli (the Apparatus media office)
A security patrol of the Stability Support Apparatus imposes security in Tripoli (the Apparatus media office)
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Amnesty Accuses Libya’s SSA of Violations Against Migrants, Refugees

A security patrol of the Stability Support Apparatus imposes security in Tripoli (the Apparatus media office)
A security patrol of the Stability Support Apparatus imposes security in Tripoli (the Apparatus media office)

The Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) in Libya has slammed an Amnesty International report that accused the agency of carrying out arbitrary detentions of migrants and refugees as well as of human rights violations.

In its statement, SSA pointed out that Amnesty’s report lacked the most basic standards of professional work, describing the international organization’s stated accusations as false and slanderous.

The Apparatus also affirmed its intent to implement Libyan law, observe standards of justice and human rights in its work within the framework of official state institutions, and work to deter any illegal practices that might be acted upon by its employees.

“Entrenched impunity has emboldened the state-funded Stability Support Authority (SSA) militia to commit unlawful killings, arbitrary detentions, interception and subsequent arbitrary detention of migrants and refugees, torture, forced labor, and other shocking human rights violations and crimes under international law,” Amnesty said earlier.

"Legitimizing abusive militia leaders and putting them on state payroll with no questions asked only empowers them to continue trampling on the rights of more people with complete impunity," said Amnesty's regional director Diana Eltahawy.

But the Apparatus called on the organization to investigate the accuracy of its report.



WFP: Major Food Aid 'Scale-up' Underway to Famine-hit Sudan

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
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WFP: Major Food Aid 'Scale-up' Underway to Famine-hit Sudan

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa

More than 700 trucks are on their way to famine-stricken areas of Sudan as part of a major scale-up after clearance came through from the Sudanese government, a World Food Program spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in conflict since April 2023 that has caused acute hunger and disease across the country. Both sides are accused of impeding aid deliveries, the RSF by looting and the army by bureaucratic delays.
"In total, the trucks will carry about 17,500 tons of food assistance, enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month," WFP Sudan spokesperson Leni Kinzli told a press briefing in Geneva.
"We've received around 700 clearances from the government in Sudan, from the Humanitarian Aid Commission, to start to move and transport assistance to some of these hard-to-reach areas," she added, saying the start of the dry season was another factor enabling the scale-up.
The WFP fleet will be clearly labelled in the hope that access will be facilitated, Reuters quoted her as saying.
Some of the food is intended for 14 areas of the country that face famine or are at risk of famine, including Zamzam camp in the Darfur region.
The first food arrived there on Friday prompting cheers from crowds of people who had resorted to eating crushed peanut shells normally fed to animals, Kinzli said.

A second convoy for the camp is currently about 300 km away, she said.