Over 50 bodies found in mortuary refrigerator in Libya hospital

A minimum of 58 bodies were found in a mortuary refrigerator in the Abu Salim Accidents Hospital in Tripoli, Libya, on May 19th, according to Reuters.

The hospital was under the supervision of a militia that was involved in the Tripoli riots the week before. The Interior Ministry for the government that controls Western Libya, backed by the UN, reported that the authorities were not made aware of the deaths, and that 35 of the deceased remained unidentified, The National reported on May 20th.

The ministry posted numerous images of the deceased with blurred-out faces, showing them to be decomposing on hospital beds. An investigation was opened into the identities of the corpses, but some of the remains were burnt.

“So far, 23 corpses have been examined, and all necessary legal procedures have been taken, including documenting data and collecting samples,” the ministry said. The statement also said that the corpses had been kept “for a period of time” without the police being notified.

Abu Salim, after which the hospital was named, was the territory occupied by the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) militia group, who’s leader Abdulghani Al Kikli – commonly referred to as ‘Ghaniwa’ – was killed on the 12^th May. This led to an outbreak of clashes between the armed groups, Maghrebi reported on May 19th.

Al Kikli’s death led to the defeat of the SSA by a group of armed factions associated with Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU).

According to the UN, the conflict was one of the worst seen in Tripoli over the course of its civil war, resulting in at least eight civilian deaths. The Libyan authorities are yet to confirm an official number. An official ceasefire was declared on 14^th May.

The deceased found in the Abu Salim refrigerators were the second findings found in recent days. On 17^thMay, officials claimed that nine bodies had been found at Al Khadra hospital, another medical facility controlled by the SSA. The ministry posted on X that a criminal investigation has been opened.

Prime Minister al-Dbeibah released a statement on May 17th that he was committed to an “ongoing project” of eliminating all militias. In a televised address, he said: “We will welcome all those who choose to stand with the state. We will sideline those who resort to blackmail and corruption”.

He added that some armed groups “had grown excessively, to the point of controlling the entire political, financial, economic, and even social landscape”.

A video posted by the GNU on the May 19th showed bulldozers demolishing a camp under the control of the SSA. Local authorities reported that the area is to be turned into a national park.

Residents of the capital city have begun protesting in the streets against the violence, demanding that Prime Minister Dbeibah step down from his role.

Libya is divided by the UN-recognised government in Tripoli and an easterly faction controlled by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Since a 2011 NATO-backed revolt saw the death of longstanding Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been in a state of instability. In 2014, the country split into eastern and western groups, with regular clashes breaking out between them over territorial control.

Reuters, The National, Maghrebi