UNSMIL condemns attacks on medical facilities in Tripoli

The United Nations condemned Monday the attack against Jalaa Hospital for Women and Childbirth in Tripoli, by militias.

The attackers shot one doctor and threatened the safety and security of the medical staff at the hospital, resulting in a three-day halt of all non-emergency medical services.

Persistent violence against medical facilities; including shelling and bombing of hospitals, attacking and intimidating medical staff, looting of medicine, equipment and ambulances, and clashes inside hospitals – all committed with impunity by armed groups – must stop immediately. The health system of Libya is already under-resourced and overstretched, these attacks are costing lives of innocent patients and staff alike.

The UN expressed its solidarity with the staff at Jalaa Hospital and medical personnel across Libya. The UN warns the perpetrators that attacks against medical facilities and health care providers are prohibited under International Humanitarian Law and that those responsible must be brought to justice for what may amount to war crimes, under the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court.