UNSMIL documents 12 deaths and 23 injuries in Libya last September

From 1 September to 30 September 2017, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) documented 35 civilian casualties – 12 deaths and 23 injuries – during the conduct of hostilities across Libya. Victims included 7 men killed and 8 injured, 3 women killed and 2 injured, and 2 children killed (1 girl and 1 boy) and 13 children injured ( 7 girls and 6 boys).
The majority of civilian casualties were caused by explosive remnants of war (ERW, 5 deaths and 5 injuries) and gunfire (4 deaths and 6 injuries). The exact causes of another 3 deaths and 12 injuries were unknown – but likely to either be shelling or gunfire.
UNSMIL documented 5 deaths and 12 injuries in Sabratha, 5 deaths and 8 injuries in Benghazi, 3 injuries in Derna, 1 death in al-Zawiya, and 1 death in Tobruk.
On 17 September, clashes erupted in the city of Sabratha and continued intermittently till today, leading to heavy civilian casualties. At least 4 men and 1 woman died, while 6 men, 2 women, and 4 children were injured. They included a woman who sustained fatal shrapnel injuries, while in her kitchen and a 55-year-old man walking home from the local mosque.
A couple were hit while fleeing clashes, leading to the husband’s death and the wife’s injury. UNSMIL was unable to ascertain the civilian status of another 37 men injured during the clashes.
On 1 September, an 80-year-old woman was killed at home in the area of al-Harsha, when it was attacked by al-Harsha based armed groups following a pro-Qadhafi march.
In Benghazi, ERW caused the death of 3 men, 1women and 1 child and the injury of a man and 4 children. On 3 September, a woman was killed in another ERW explosion in central Benghazi, while her husband was injured. The couple were reportedly displaced during the armed conflict, and were returning to their house to assess the damage, demonstrating the threats posed by ERW for civilians returning home to conflict-affected areas. On 21 September, a 13 year-old-girl was killed, her two younger sisters, aged 5 and 3, and another 13-year-old boy were injured while playing outside the girls’ grandmother’s house in Benghazi’s Gawarsha neighbourhood in an ERW explosion.
On 9 September, a 14-year-old boy was injured by an EWR while playing football, resulting in the amputation of his lower limbs.
On 18 September, Libyan National Army (LNA) affiliates stationed at the Martouba checkpoint fired into the air to disperse Derna residents seeking passage. As a result, a man in his 60s sustained shrapnel injuries to his eye.
On 22 September, two girls sustained gunshot wounds when their car came under fire in the area of Fataeh in Derna.
On 6 September, a medical professional working at al-Jalaa Hospital in Benghazi was stabbed by an alleged LNA affiliate. The suspected perpetrator was reportedly taken for questioning by the Military Police.
The University Hospital in Sabratah was hit by shells twice, on 19 and 21 September, causing damage to the emergency and surgery units and rendering them un-operational. The World Heritage Archaeological Site of Sabratha was also hit by bullets.