Migrants have been left isolated and without access to food after nearly a week of clashes between warring militias in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned.
Libya's health ministry said on Thursday that 30 people were killed and 96 injured as a result of clashes that broke out on Sunday. The figures were released as fighting resumed on Thursday and the situation is likely to deteriorate.
“The fighting has further jeopardised the lives of an estimated 8,000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who have been trapped and arbitrarily held in closed detention centres throughout the city,” MSF said.
“The recent fighting demonstrates that Libya is not a safe place for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers,” said Ibrahim Younis, the MSF head of mission in Libya. “Many have fled from war-torn countries or have spent months in horrible conditions while being held by human traffickers before they were put in these closed detention centres.”
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The UN refugee agency said it moved about 300 refugees and migrants out of a detention centre in Ain Zara, one of the focal points for conflict.
“Libya is not a safe country, and European governments must acknowledge their responsibility to help the most vulnerable people trapped in Libya,” MSF said.
It accused the Libyan administration, the UN and governments from safe countries of failing to establish an effective way to process asylum claims and it said some European countries had created policies that stopped asylum seekers from leaving Libya.
It called on these countries “to acknowledge Libya is not a place of safety” and to help those trapped in the conflict-ridden North African nation.
The Libyan Red Crescent said it had been unable to open safe passages for some in the south of Tripoli because of the intense fighting.
The UN-backed government in Tripoli tried to bring about a ceasefire and instructed two of its most senior military commanders to mediate between the militias.
Maj Gen Osama Juwaili, the western zone commander, said: “All of the fighting forces must return to the headquarters they held before the clashes.”
The fighting pits pro-government militias against a brigade known as the Seventh, or the Kani, and allied forces led by Salah Badi, a militia leader who was blamed for leading the destruction of Tripoli in 2014. He has seemingly returned from his base in Turkey.
Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord Fayez Al Sarraj said: “We have called from the outset to spare civilians these armed confrontations, which will only lead to further destruction and innocent casualties.
“The perpetrators will be brought to justice,” he added.
The prime minister rejected accusations that the Kani Brigade was a unit of the government’s defence ministry and said it had been disbanded in April.
Mr Al Serraj's spokesman denied claims that the prime minister had fled Tripoli as the conflict raged.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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