DHAKA, May 29, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh today asked Libya to take stringent punitive actions against perpetrators of the massacre of its nationals alongside compensation for the victims a day after alleged hostage takers killed 26 Bangladeshis and wounded 11 others.
“Our mission in Libya contacted with Tripoli government and demanded immediate investigations and appropriate punitive actions against the killers,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told BSS.
He said Bangladesh’s embassy in Libya also asked the UN recognized Tripoli based Government of National Accord (GNA) to inform Dhaka the identities of the perpetrators of the carnage.
On the other hand, Momen said, Dhaka communicated with International Organization for Migration (IOM) to bring back bodies of 26 Bangladeshis, who were killed by their hostage takers along with four others of African origin.
The minister, however, said Libyan interior ministry by now issued orders for the miscreants’ arrest to be exposed to justice.
But, Momen said, the massacre scene Mizda, a town 180 kilometres southwest off capital Tripoli virtually remained as a trouble spot though GNA authorities took control of the town chasing their rival forces from there a week ago.
He said reports from Tripoli suggested that ousted forces carried out a bombarded campaign in the town even two days ago, a situation that made it difficult to assume how and when the culprits could be tracked down.
On Thursday night 30 people, 26 being Bangladeshis, in captivity at a hideout in Mizda shot dead in what it appeared to be an attack by hostage takers while their 11 other compatriots were wounded.
The foreign minister said in an overnight development the injured Bangladeshis were brought to a Tripoli hospital for better treatment as the Bangladesh mission pursued their transfer with the Libyan authorities.
Momen said according to latest reports from Tripoli, condition of five of the 11 wounded Bangladeshis appeared critical but concerned doctors said six others were out of danger.
“Three of the five critically wounded nationals of ours have gone through surgeries,” he said adding bodies of the 26 dead, however, were now kept at a Mizda hospital morgue.
The foreign minister said Bangladesh mission contacted with Libyan government’s director general of health and IOM while they assured to provide all kinds of medical help to the injured Bangladeshis.
Momen said there were 38 Bangladeshis in captivity of the human traffickers while only one of the fellow inmates visibly could escape unhurt as the killing spree began.
He said the latest report suggested the man took shelter at a pharmacy and eventually conveyed the Bangladesh mission in the troubled country about the massacre.
Momen said the survivor told the embassy officials that the human trafficking gang was torturing Bangladeshi nationals for more money for their illegal migration across the Mediterranean.
According to the survivor the virtually enslaved Bangladeshis killed one of the traffickers and resulting in the revenge attack by members of the gang.
A foreign ministry statement based on an initial memo from Bangladesh’s Tripoli mission earlier today said the Bangladeshi who escaped unhurt the carnage took refuge at the home of a “generous Libyan” from where he contacted the mission.
“He told the embassy that miscreants captivated 38 Bangladeshis including him for ransom as the traffickers were escorting them to Tripoli from Benghazi across the desert 15 days ago to explore works for livelihood,” the statement said.
The man, whose name was not mentioned in the statement, said at one point of tortures the hostages killed the “main kidnapper” as a sequel of which the revenge attack came in the form the carnage.
The statement said a war situation currently prevailed in Mizda as two major Libyan rival forces were waging battles against each other turning the town as a battle ground.
The Bangladesh mission reported that GNA recently had taken control of the town but the rival forces based in eastern Libya and led by General Haftab bombarded there even two days back.
The foreign ministry statement said Bangladesh government is against any sort of human trafficking and taken various masseurs regarding this that has already reduced the volume of trafficking from Bangladesh in recent times.
Libya is a major point for irregular migrants heading to Europe across the Mediterranean while the war-ravaged African country itself Libya was long been a destination for migrants because of its oil-funded economy.