Posts tagged Libya

Libya: A Precarious Situation for Vulnerable Populations As Libya grapples with consolidating state authority and restoring normality after the revolution, groups of migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people remain in a vulnerable and precarious situation. MSF is continuing to provide basic medical and psychological assistance to these groups in Tripoli. In parallel, MSF will also end its remaining activities in Misrata at the beginning of April to refocus on other areas of intervention. There are concerns that camps in Tripoli are being shut down by authorities without any clear strategy that the people will be appropriately cared for afterwards, leaving former residents in an even more vulnerable situation. Already on February 14, a camp where hundreds of primarily sub-Saharan African migrants had taken refuge was closed and evacuated. On March 20, another camp housing approximately 300 Somali refugees was evacuated, with residents now being spread out over Tripoli. As MSF had been running mobile clinics in these two camps, it is now trying to trace patients to be able to ensure the provision of follow-up care if needed. Currently, MSF is running mobile clinics in two camps for internally displaced people in the city, providing basic health care and psychological support. When necessary, MSF also assists in referring residents to secondary health structures. The camps, containing a total of approximately 4,000 people, are primarily made up of people from the Tawargha city. Members of this community were forcibly displaced at the end of the conflict, and are unable to return home. On average, MSF performs 50 consultations in these two camps every week.Libya 2011 © Niklas Bergstrand Nearly all buildings in Tripoli street in downtown Misrata were completely destroyed during the war.

Libya: A Precarious Situation for Vulnerable Populations

As Libya grapples with consolidating state authority and restoring normality after the revolution, groups of migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people remain in a vulnerable and precarious situation. MSF is continuing to provide basic medical and psychological assistance to these groups in Tripoli. In parallel, MSF will also end its remaining activities in Misrata at the beginning of April to refocus on other areas of intervention.

There are concerns that camps in Tripoli are being shut down by authorities without any clear strategy that the people will be appropriately cared for afterwards, leaving former residents in an even more vulnerable situation. Already on February 14, a camp where hundreds of primarily sub-Saharan African migrants had taken refuge was closed and evacuated. On March 20, another camp housing approximately 300 Somali refugees was evacuated, with residents now being spread out over Tripoli. As MSF had been running mobile clinics in these two camps, it is now trying to trace patients to be able to ensure the provision of follow-up care if needed.

Currently, MSF is running mobile clinics in two camps for internally displaced people in the city, providing basic health care and psychological support. When necessary, MSF also assists in referring residents to secondary health structures. The camps, containing a total of approximately 4,000 people, are primarily made up of people from the Tawargha city. Members of this community were forcibly displaced at the end of the conflict, and are unable to return home. On average, MSF performs 50 consultations in these two camps every week.

Libya 2011 © Niklas Bergstrand
Nearly all buildings in Tripoli street in downtown Misrata were completely destroyed during the war.

Libya: MSF Suspends Work in Misrata Detention Centers

Doctors Without Borders staff treating patients in Misrata detention centers suspended medical activities when it became clear that the patients were being tortured.

Learn more about the situation in Libya.

“Doctors Without Borders suspended its work in the Libyan city of Misrata last week because prison officials repeatedly brought torture victims in for treatment — only to return them to interrogation after they received medical care. SPIEGEL spoke with the group’s general director, Christopher Stokes, about the situation in Libya.” __________________________________________ “SPIEGEL: Your organization has suspended operations in Misrata. Why? Stokes: Because some officials have sought to exploit and obstruct our medical work. Our mission was to treat war-wounded detainees. Since then, doctors from Doctors Without Borders were increasingly confronted with patients who suffered injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions. In total, we treated 115 people who had torture-related wounds, Libyans and foreigners from African countries whom they accuse of having been mercenaries for Gadhafi’s regime. SPIEGEL: How were the prisoners tortured? Stokes: We have encountered bone fractures as a result of torture and we received patients who had been electrically shocked.” __________________________________________ Read the whole interview with SPIEGEL here. Read the MSF Press Release here. Photo: Benoit Finck © MSF

“Doctors Without Borders suspended its work in the Libyan city of Misrata last week because prison officials repeatedly brought torture victims in for treatment — only to return them to interrogation after they received medical care. SPIEGEL spoke with the group’s general director, Christopher Stokes, about the situation in Libya.”

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“SPIEGEL: Your organization has suspended operations in Misrata. Why?

Stokes: Because some officials have sought to exploit and obstruct our medical work. Our mission was to treat war-wounded detainees. Since then, doctors from Doctors Without Borders were increasingly confronted with patients who suffered injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions. In total, we treated 115 people who had torture-related wounds, Libyans and foreigners from African countries whom they accuse of having been mercenaries for Gadhafi’s regime.

SPIEGEL: How were the prisoners tortured?

Stokes: We have encountered bone fractures as a result of torture and we received patients who had been electrically shocked.”

__________________________________________


Read the whole interview with SPIEGEL here.


Read the MSF Press Release here.


Photo: Benoit Finck © MSF

Photo: An MSF physiotherapist works in one of Misrata’s detention centers, where MSF is suspending operations. Libya 2011 © MSF MSF teams began working in Misrata’s detention centers in August, 2011, to treat war-wounded detainees. Since then, MSF doctors had been increasingly confronted with patients who suffered injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions. The interrogations were held outside the detention centers. In total, MSF treated 115 people who had torture-related wounds. The organization reported all the cases to the relevant authorities in Misrata. Since January, several of the patients returned to interrogation centers were again tortured. MSF medical teams were also asked to treat patients inside the interrogation centers, which the organization categorically refused. The most alarming case occurred on January 3, when MSF doctors treated a group of 14 detainees who returned to a detention facility from an interrogation center. Despite previous MSF demands for the immediate end of torture, 9 of the 14 detainees had suffered numerous injuries and displayed obvious signs of torture. The MSF team informed the National Army Security Service—the agency responsible for interrogations—that a number of patients needed to be transferred to hospitals for urgent and specialized care. All but one of the detainees were again deprived of essential medical care and were subjected to renewed interrogations and torture outside the detention centers. Libya: Detainees Tortured and Denied Medical Care

Photo: An MSF physiotherapist works in one of Misrata’s detention centers, where MSF is suspending operations. Libya 2011 © MSF

MSF teams began working in Misrata’s detention centers in August, 2011, to treat war-wounded detainees. Since then, MSF doctors had been increasingly confronted with patients who suffered injuries caused by torture during interrogation sessions. The interrogations were held outside the detention centers. In total, MSF treated 115 people who had torture-related wounds.

The organization reported all the cases to the relevant authorities in Misrata. Since January, several of the patients returned to interrogation centers were again tortured. MSF medical teams were also asked to treat patients inside the interrogation centers, which the organization categorically refused.

The most alarming case occurred on January 3, when MSF doctors treated a group of 14 detainees who returned to a detention facility from an interrogation center. Despite previous MSF demands for the immediate end of torture, 9 of the 14 detainees had suffered numerous injuries and displayed obvious signs of torture.

The MSF team informed the National Army Security Service—the agency responsible for interrogations—that a number of patients needed to be transferred to hospitals for urgent and specialized care. All but one of the detainees were again deprived of essential medical care and were subjected to renewed interrogations and torture outside the detention centers.

Libya: Detainees Tortured and Denied Medical Care

Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for further interrogation. This is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between torture sessions.
MSF general director Christopher Stokes. MSF is suspending operations in detention centers in Misrata, Libya, because detainees are being tortured and denied urgent medical care.
An MSF psychiatrist conducts a training session with psychologists in Misrata. MSF continues to provide medical care to migrants, internally displaced persons, and prisoners in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Misrata. MSF teams are also running a mental health program after many months of violence in the country. Libya: After War, MSF’s Medical Work Still Sorely Needed Photo: Libya 2011 © Benoit Finck/MSF

An MSF psychiatrist conducts a training session with psychologists in Misrata. MSF continues to provide medical care to migrants, internally displaced persons, and prisoners in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Misrata. MSF teams are also running a mental health program after many months of violence in the country.

Libya: After War, MSF’s Medical Work Still Sorely Needed

Photo: Libya 2011 © Benoit Finck/MSF

Libya: Aid Without Discrimination

Libya has just entered a new era. However, before Sirte fell on October 20, heavy fighting caused a lot of serious injuries. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff have performed surgery on more than 450 patients since May.

Migrants and refugees like this man have been living in and around ships on an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Tripoli. Many have been there since the conflict first began in Libya, seeking refuge from harassment and violence. MSF has been providing medical assistance to this population and is calling for their protection. Read more Photo: Libya 2011 © Ron Haviv/VII

Migrants and refugees like this man have been living in and around ships on an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Tripoli. Many have been there since the conflict first began in Libya, seeking refuge from harassment and violence. MSF has been providing medical assistance to this population and is calling for their protection. Read more

Photo: Libya 2011 © Ron Haviv/VII

Libya: Working With Shortages, Threats, and Shelling in Sirte

On Oct. 13, Dr. Gabriele Rossi, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency coordinator, discussed the very serious situation in Sirte. On the night following the interview, six patients died at Ibn Sina hospital because they could not be operated on. In the northern part of town, thousands of civilians remain completely trapped by the fighting.

Libya: Targeted Attacks on Migrants

In recent weeks, the number of attacks and thefts against migrant workers in Libya have multiplied, forcing them to hide in makeshift camps where they lack both water and food.

Al Jazeera also recently covered the alleged sexual assaults of up to two dozen women at a camp for migrant workers, which MSF field staff confirmed.

Read more to get an update on MSF’s work in Libya.

This report from AFP shows MSF teams treating African workers trapped in Libya. You can read more on this issue on our website: Migrants Trapped in Tripoli Need Aid and Protection

Migrants Trapped in Tripoli Need Aid and Protection

Hundreds of vulnerable migrants and refugees in Tripoli are living in appalling conditions without proper medical care or security. MSF has begun providing basic health care to two communities of displaced foreign nationals in need of urgent protection and assistance.

When we arrived at Abu Salim [hospital], we faced quite a shocking scene: dozens of dead bodies were lying in the hospital’s compound. Abu Salim hospital had been completely cut off by the nearby fighting and 22 patients were stuck inside, together with five medical staff. We managed to evacuate the two most critical patients—who would have probably died otherwise. Later on, the remaining patients were transferred to safer facilities.
Jonathan Whittall, MSF emergency coordinator in Libya. Read the rest of his account here.
The hospitals that I’ve visited since the clashes started are often quite chaotic scenes with many doctors and nurses unable to reach the hospital because either they live in areas that are still not secure or they can’t travel through the city from one side to another. There’s a shortage of health workers inside the facilities, but there is a huge number of people who are responding as volunteers and who are going to the hospitals to try and support and assist where they can. But this is creating quite a chaotic environment.
Speaking from Tripoli, Jonathan Whittall, MSF head of mission, describes the situation on the ground. More here.
Some hospitals have run out of life-saving medication and equipment. There is little electricity and insufficient fuel to run ambulances and some crucial equipment. The current fighting in the city will put strained medical facilities under even more pressure.

Jonathan Whittal, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Libya.

In Tripoli, where fighting has increased dramatically in recent days, several medical facilities report serious shortages of materials and staff. MSF is preparing to expand our medical response in western Libya to meet urgent humanitarian needs. Learn more.