According to the United Nations, numerous human rights violations have been documented in the Libyan city of Tarhuna. According to them, the Kaniyat militia killed, sexually abused, abducted, tortured and forcibly displaced people there between 2013 and 2022.
The UN is now demanding accountability. A report by the Human Rights Service of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) concluded that the Kaniyat group, which emerged in 2011, “exerted brutal control over Tarhuna.”
Tarhuna is located about 90 kilometers southeast of Tripoli and, according to the UN, is home to about 150,000 people.
“Years have passed since these horrific violations took place, but the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice, nor has truth, justice or reparation been provided to the victims and their families,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Impunity must end – there must be accountability in accordance with international fair trial and due process standards.”
The UN report recommends that perpetrators be investigated and prosecuted, and calls for a process of reconciliation for society.
The International Criminal Court is investigating the allegations.
Civil war after the fall of Gaddafi
Libya has been in the grip of civil war since the fall of long-time ruler Moammer Gaddafi, who was ousted from power in a 2011 uprising and eventually captured and executed by rebels.
Fighting between government forces and militias ended in 2020, but Libya remains divided between two competing governments and rival spheres of influence of various militias.
“Like many armed elements in Libya, Kaniyat emerged after the 2011 conflict in Libya and shifted allegiances as political dynamics in the country evolved. Its members grew powerful amid a power vacuum in Tarhuna, and exercised effective control over the city from 2015 to 2020,” the UN report said.