Rome, Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi on Thursday held talks here with Libya’s Deputy Premier Ahmed Maitig after the “tragic” bombing of migrant shelter in Tripoli which killed at least 53 people and seriously injured 130, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During his meeting with Maitig, Moavero “confirmed Italy’s committed support to the work of the United Nations in Libya towards a swift ceasefire and a de-escalation of hostilities,” the statement said.
Moavero also “reiterated Italy’s request for a rigorous UN inquiry into what happened on Tajoura,” the statement said, referring to the apparent twin air strike on the migrant centre overnight on Tuesday.
Italy has submitted a formal proposal to the European Union, urging the bloc to adopt a unanimous official position on the deadly bombing, the statement said.
The UN-backed government in Tripoli blames eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces for the strikes on Tajoura, in which at least six children died. But Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army claims the migrant centre was hit by shelling from militias loyal to the Tripoli government.
The UN says over 800 people have died and more than 4,500 have been wounded in the three-month-old battle for Tripoli which pits Haftar’s forces against those loyal to the internationally-recognised government.
