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Child Killed, 29 Wounded in Libya Mortar Attack: UN

Since the killing of its long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, Libya is torn between rival factions. Currently, the country has two administrations each of which is backed by various foreign nations. There is intense fighting between the two forces and their allies both on land and in the air. Photo: AFP

The United Nations on Wednesday condemned a suspected “targeted mortar attack” in southern Libya that it said killed a child and wounded 29 people.

The reported attack in the Sebha region, some 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of the capital Tripoli, took place on Tuesday, on the eve of the anniversary marking 10 years since the start of the uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it  “strongly condemns what appears to be a targeted mortar attack… during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the revolution yesterday, which killed a child and injured 29 others, including two children.”

UNSMIL said it “calls on authorities to ensure an independent, impartial and prompt investigation into this heinous attack on civilians and calls for perpetrators to be brought to justice.”

Oil-rich Libya has been mired in chaos since Kadhafi was ousted and killed in a popular uprising backed by a NATO air campaign.

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