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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 31 March 2022
U.N. experts seek to verify mass graves for migrants in Libya

By SAMY MAGDY and prolonged periods of time
JAMEY KEATEN or subjected to intrusive
Associated Press body search amounting to
CAIRO (AP) — Investigators rape.”
commissioned by the U.N.’s Also Wednesday, Germany
top human rights body on said that its military will no
Wednesday painted a longer provide training to
grim picture for migrants in Libya’s coast guard be-
Libya, just days after say- cause of concerns over
ing they were looking into its treatment of migrants.
claims that mass graves The Libyan coast guard
have been found at a hu- has been trained and
man trafficking center in equipped by the European
the country’s northwest. Union as part of efforts to
Chief investigator Mo- stanch the flow of migrants
hamed Auajjar, a former across the Mediterranean.
Moroccan justice minister, The investigators said in an
said the team of investi- October report that they
gators had documented had evidence of possible
“consistent patterns of seri- crimes against human-
ous human rights violations” ity and war crimes in Lib-
against migrants in govern- ya. Many of the alleged
ment-run detention centers crimes, they say, were
and trafficking hubs. Migrants are brought to shore after being intercepted by the Libyan coast guard on the committed against civilians
Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021.
Libya has in recent years Associated Press and migrants detained in
emerged as a popular, the country while trying to
if extremely dangerous, and raped.” Auajjar said his team of announce concrete results get to Europe.
route toward Europe for In interim findings present- about 15 investigators, and if necessary, if we have The investigators also said
those fleeing poverty and ed to the council this week, based out of the Tunisian the necessary evidence, that the Libyan coast guard
conflict in Africa and the the investigators said at capital of Tunis, are going we will name those respon- has mistreated migrants
Middle East. The North Af- least eight migrants had over all of the cases and sible for these claims.” and handed some over to
rican nation plunged into spoken about mass graves vetting the information re- He told the council earlier detention centers where
turmoil following the NATO- in the town, something ceived. that investigators were also there is widespread torture
backed 2011 uprising that the investigators said they “We receive a lot of infor- examining the existence of and sexual violence.
toppled and killed long- needed to verify. mation from NGOs (non- secret detention facilities A confidential report by
time dictator Moammar Speaking to The Associated governmental organiza- including some controlled the head of Operation Irini,
Gadhafi. Press on the sidelines of the tions) and authorities, and by armed militias. obtained earlier this year
In the northwestern town of council session in Geneva, we want to check them In the report, investigators by the AP, acknowledged

Bani Walid, the fact-finding Auajjar said his office “re- with ethics and rigor,” he said they continued to re- “excessive use of force” by
experts commissioned by ceived information about said. Alluding to the coun- ceive reports of detainees the coast guard but called
the U.N.-backed Human other sites as well, where cil’s next session, when his “being threatened with for European training pro-
Rights Council found that there may be mass graves, office will present a full writ- sexual violence against grams to continue, despite
“migrants were held cap- but the investigations are ten report, Auajjar said: “In them or their relatives, be- longtime outcry from right
tive, murdered, tortured ongoing.” June, we will be able to ing stripped naked for groups.q

Haitians protest rising insecurity; some burn a plane

Les Cayes where people part of an attack by some had gotten onto the termi-
stormed the airport and at- protesters, said Garry Des- nal’s tarmac, attacked the
tacked and burned a small rosiers, the National Police plane and set it on fire.
plane owned by a U.S. mis- spokesman. The aircraft A video posted in social
sionary group. was non-operational and media showed some peo-
At least one person died had been stationed there ple on the plane’s fuselage
and five others were in- for a while, he added. while the red-and-white
jured, including four police The protests coincided with aircraft was moving on the
officers, in the confron- the 35th anniversary of Hai- tarmac, and others running
tation between protest- ti’s 1987 Constitution and alongside it. Chery said he
ers and authorities in Les follow other protests and didn’t know why they at-
Cayes, said Gedeon Chery, strikes in recent weeks amid tacked it.
a National Police inspector a spike in gang-related kid- Agape Flights, a Christian
assigned to the city’s air- nappings and complaints ministry transporting sup-
port. about Prime Minister Ariel plies to missionaries in Haiti,
Chery told The Associated Henry’s inability to confront the Dominican Republic
A plane burns after being set on fire by demonstrators
protesting increasing violence at the Antoine Simon Des Cayes Press the person killed was gangs. On his Twitter ac- and the Bahamas, said in a
airport in Les Cayes, Haiti, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. a protester who was shot, count, Henry condemned statement that “Our team
Associated Press but he didn’t say whether the violence in Les Cayes is safe.”
police were responsible. and said he has ordered It said Agape’s Chieftain
By EVENS SANON the streets Tuesday to pro- A second small plane was authorities to look for the aircraft was destroyed and
Associated Press test rising insecurity, with burned at the local airport people behind it. they are preparing to bring
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti demonstrations turning vio- of the city of Jacmel, but Chery, the police inspec- the ministry’s team back to
(AP) — Haitians took to lent in the southern city of it wasn’t clear if it was also tor, said a group of people the U.S.q