1.523 Violent Deaths Recorded in Libya in 2016

Tripoli, 8 Rabi’ul Akhir 1438/7 January 2017 (MINA) – A total of 1,523 violent deaths were recorded in Libya in 2016, according to a report by the NGO Libya Body Count.

The number has increased slightly since 2015 where 1,519 violent deaths were recorded and lowered significantly since 2014 where 2,825 violent deaths were recorded.

According to the report, three main Libyan locations held the most deaths: Sirte had 693 findings, Benghazi 307 and 102 recorded in Tripoli, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported.

The war in Sirte last year between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord’s forces and Daesh extremists accounted for the most recorded violent deaths in 2016 with the highest death rate amongst the 25-35 age group.

The GNA aligned Bunyan Marsous reported that there had been 720 deaths during the Sirte campaign from May to December 2016. The war effort in Sirte alone has added nearly 47 per cent to the 2016 total violent deaths in Libya of 1,523.

The violent death rate in Benghazi fell in 2016 compared to 491 recorded deaths in 2016 and 1,471 in 2014. The report attributed the decline to the “Haftar effect” as the military strongman imposed a security clampdown on Libya’s second city. Haftar-aligned forces are still fighting an urban guerrilla-type war in some parts of the city so the numbers are said to remain high in 2017.

The report also noted how the former violent spot of Derna has dropped down into double figures, from 145 violent deaths in 2015. The eastern city of Derna is currently under siege by Haftar’s forces with relatively little fighting.(T/R04/RS05)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)