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A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 19 November 2019
Libyan officials: Airstrike kills 7 workers in Tripoli

By SAMY MAGDY fire northwards into the
Associated Press city,” he said. “Over the
CAIRO (AP) — An airstrike past days, the number of
slammed into a biscuit fac- civilians killed and injured
tory in Libya’s capital, Tripo- has been rising and many
li, on Monday killing at least families are leaving the ar-
seven workers including eas impacted by the shell-
five foreign nationals and ing.” The LNA is the largest
two Libyans, health authori- and best organized of the
ties said, in what the U.N. country’s many militias, and
envoy to Libya said could has the support of Egypt,
be a war crime. the United Arab Emirates
Tripoli has been the scene and Russia. The Tripoli-allied
of fighting since April be- militias, on the other side,
tween the self-styled Libyan are aided by Turkey and
National Army, led by Gen. Qatar. Salame warned of
Khalifa Hifter, and an ar- “disastrous humanitarian
ray of militias loosely allied consequences” if fighting
with the U.N.-supported but and shelling around the
weak government which capital continues.
holds the capital. The U.N. Mission in Libya es-
The Tripoli-based health timates the total number
ministry said the airstrike of drone strikes support-
took place in the capital’s ing Hifter’s LNA since the
Wadi el-Rabie neighbor- beginning of the conflict
hood, south of the city cen- at “well above 800” and
ter where fighting has been the number supporting the
raging for months. government “at around
Malek Merset, a spokes- 240,” Salame said.
man with the ministry, told Libya has been divided
The Associated Press that into rival governments, with
the dead included five Tripoli controlling parts of
workers from Bangladesh, the country’s west, and
and two Libyan nationals. A man injured in an airstrike that hit a biscuit factory is treated in a hospital in the capital, Tripoli, a rival government in the
The airstrike also wounded Libya, Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. east aligned with Hifter’s
at least 33 workers, mostly Associated Press force. Each side is backed
from Niger and Bangla- U.N. Security Council on to verify the facts. bat have killed hundreds by an array of militias and
desh, who were taken to Monday that the attack The Tripoli-based govern- of people and displaced armed groups fighting over
nearby hospitals for urgent caused 10 deaths and 35 ment blamed the airstrike thousands. resources and territory.
treatment, Merset said. injuries, and could consti- on Hifter’s LNA, which did Salame said the front lines East Libyan authorities said
Footage shared online tute a war crime. not return calls seeking in southern Tripoli are “high- on Sunday a Libyan Airlines
showed wounded people “Regardless of whether the comment. ly fluid” and blamed what aircraft had been seized by
with bandages and blood attack deliberately target- Fighting for Tripoli has he said was an intensifica- officials at the airport in the
on their legs on stretchers ed the factory or was an in- stalled in recent months, tion of violence on “foreign western city of Misrata. The
before being taken by am- discriminate attack, it may with both sides dug in and interference” in the con- Tripoli government con-
bulances to hospitals. constitute a war crime,” shelling one another along flict. trols the airport, and militias
Ghassan Salame, the U.N. Salame said. the city’s southern reach- “I am gravely worried by seen as its political allies oc-
envoy for Libya, told the He said the U.N. is working es. The months of com- the expansion of artillery cupy the city.q
Belarus election results: An opposition-free parliament

By YURAS KARMANAU Observers from the Orga- observer team leader, Mar-
Associated Press nization for Security and garet Cederfeldt, said in
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Full Cooperation in Europe said the statement.
preliminary results from par- Monday that “fundamen- The outgoing parliament in
liamentary elections in Be- tal freedoms were disre- the former Soviet republic
larus show the chamber will garded and the integrity had two opposition depu-
have no members of the of the election process was ties. But they and many
opposition to challenge not adequately safeguard- other opposition candi-
strongman President Alex- ed.” dates were blocked from
ander Lukashenko. A statement from the OSCE running again.
Results released by the na- team cited concerns in- Belarusian opposition fig-
tional elections commis- cluding the exclusion of ures had said early voting
sion on Monday show all many opposition candi- was a particular concern,
the parliament’s 110 seats dates, limited opportunity because the ballot boxes
won by former government for public campaigning are not guarded. One inde-
functionaries, diplomats and shortcomings during pendent observer reported
and members of pro-gov- vote counting. filming a woman stuffing a
ernment parties. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to the media “These elections have box with ballots, but the in-
Election observers and gov- after voting at a polling station during parliamentary elections, demonstrated an overall cident was brushed off by
ernment opponents ques- in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. lack of respect for demo- the elections commission
tioned the poll’s integrity. Associated Press cratic commitments,” an head.q