+   *    +     +     
About Us 
The Issues 
Our Research Products 
Order Publications 
Multimedia 
Press Room 
Resources for Monitor Researchers 
ARCHIVES HOME PAGE 
    >
Email Notification Receive notifications when this Country Profile is updated.

Sections



Send us your feedback on this profile

Send the Monitor your feedback by filling out this form. Responses will be channeled to editors, but will not be available online. Click if you would like to send an attachment. If you are using webmail, send attachments to .

Libya

Last Updated: 27 November 2013

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2012

Unknown, many thousands

Casualties in 2012

66 (2011: 226)

2012 casualties by outcome

14 killed; 52 injured (2011: 55 killed; 165 injured; 6 unknown)

2012 casualties by device type

45 ERW; 21 unknown

In 2012, there were at least 66 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties in the State of Libya, based on partial data.[1] Children made up 36% (22 of 61) of all civilian casualties, a decrease compared to the percentage of child casualties (64%) in 2011. Most child casualties were boys (20); there was only one girl casualty in 2012.[2] Men were 58% (34 of 59) of all civilian casualties in cases in which the age was known, an increase compared to 2011 when men were 29% of all civilian casualties. Two casualties were women. Intentional engagement with ERW was the leading cause of casualties and among civilians where the age and gender were known.[3] Two foreign nationals from Niger were included among 2012 casualties.

All casualties for whom civilian or military status was known were civilians.[4] There were no casualties confirmed among military personnel or deminers in 2012, a decrease from 7 military and 8 deminer casualties identified in 2011.[5] In February 2012, the Libya Mine Action Center (LMAC) reported one deminer killed in an ammunition storage site explosion; he is not included in the overall total for the period.[6]

At 66, the total number of casualties identified for 2012 is a significant decrease compared with the 222 casualties in 2011.[7] This may be, in part, due to the lack of availability of casualty data to the Monitor. However, it also corresponds with the finding of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) that “the incidence of accidents has steadily declined during 2012.”[8]

The total number of casualties in Libya is not known; all available estimates pre-date the 2011 conflict, when many new casualties occurred. The Libyan Demining Association (LDA) and the Libyan Civil Defense Department had registered 1,852 mine casualties by the end of 2006.[9] Previous estimates were approximately 12,000, with the Libyan police reporting 11,845 casualties between 1940 and 1995 (6,749 killed; 5,096 injured) and the Libyan Jihad Center for Historical Studies reporting 12,258 (3,874 killed; 8,384 injured) between 1952 and 1975.[10]

Cluster munition casualties

The number of cluster munition casualties in Libya is not known. There were no casualties from cluster submunitions identified in 2012.

There was no available information on casualties during the cluster munition strikes that occurred in 2011. Media reports identified four casualties from unexploded submunitions between April and June 2011: three in Ajdabiya in the Al Wahat district and one in Misrata.[11] However, it was not possible to distinguish the devices that caused these casualties from other types of ERW. Two of the four reported submunition casualties, boys 10 and 15 years old injured in Ajdabiya, were also later reported to have been injured by a hand grenade.[12] The explosive item type of the remaining two casualties could not be confirmed and were recorded as ERW casualties by the LMAC.[13]

Victim Assistance

Libya is responsible for survivors of landmines and other types of ERW. The total number of survivors is unknown. Outdated estimates ranged from 5,000 to 8,000 survivors through 1995.[14]

Victim assistance since 1999[15]

Throughout the period since 1999, mine/ERW survivors were able to receive free medical care through the reasonably well-developed Libyan health care system. Between 2000 and 2008, Italy provided support through building renovations, training, and planning to the Benghazi Rehabilitation Center, the only physical rehabilitation center in the country. However, during the period, the center was unable to operate at full capacity due to a lack of qualified staff, materials, and a data management system. When Italy withdrew support in 2008, the center stopped producing prosthetics and orthotics.

There was no information available from the new Libyan government on economic and social inclusion initiatives or psychological support to survivors during the period. At several Meetings of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, Libya called on countries who had used mines in Libya to “provide…assistance to the victims, and to rehabilitate them.”[16]

All victim assistance, but especially emergency and ongoing medical care, was disrupted by the armed conflict that started in February 2011. International organizations responded to this disruption and assisted hospitals to resume care to the increasing numbers of new mine/ERW survivors. In August 2011, the Benghazi Rehabilitation Center resumed production of prosthetics and orthotics and, in 2012, remained the only fully functioning prosthetics and orthotics center in the country; the ICRC withdrew direct assistance to the center. Other organizations limited some activities or withdrew from the country. No victim assistance coordination or planning was possible in 2012; national and international efforts remained focused on providing immediate relief to the large numbers of war-wounded, including mine/ERW survivors, and rebuilding the health sector.

Assessing victim assistance needs

In 2012, the government was not able to differentiate the needs of mine/ERW survivors from the needs of all conflict victims in the country.[17] However, the ICRC assisted the LMAC to establish a casualty data management system. By the end of 2012, a total of 215 mine/ERW casualties which had occurred in recent years had been recorded.[18]

Victim assistance coordination[19]

Government coordinating body/focal point

Ministry of Health and Ministry of Culture and Civil Society (MCCS)

Coordinating mechanism

None

Plan

None

On 1 December 2011, the LMAC was established within the Ministry of Defense to manage all mine action activities in the country.[20] Responsibility for victim assistance lay with the Ministry of Health and the MCCS.[21] There was no national plan for victim assistance in 2012. During the year, the interim government continued to develop mechanisms to address problems among the war-wounded, to provide for the evacuation of large numbers of injured for extended treatment in hospitals in other countries, and to provide monetary payments and preferential hiring for some government positions.[22]

In March 2012, owing to “the rapid recovery of the health sector,” support to the Ministry of Health by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other relevant stakeholders for the reconstruction of the Libyan health system came to an end. Under Ministry of Health leadership, a new coordination mechanism continued the development of the healthcare sector with support and collaboration from the WHO and other partners.[23] There was no information available on whether mine/ERW survivors, their representative organizations, or disabled persons’ organizations participated in this planning process.

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[24]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2012

Ministry of Social Affairs

Government

Managed Benghazi Rehabilitation Center

Ongoing rehabilitation services

Ministry of Health

Government

Managed Janzour Rehabilitation Centre in Tripoli

Ongoing basic rehabilitation services

Merlin

International NGO

Health care and physical rehabilitation at Nalut Hospital, Nafusa mountains

Ongoing; added support for improvement of emergency services

Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF)

International NGO

Emergency surgeries for war wounded, including mine/ERW survivors, basic medical care, psychological support and training in psychological care for health professionals; negotiation with new authorities to provide mental healthcare in 2012

Surgical assistance at detention centers in Misrata suspended in January and psychological support for residents suspended in March; suspended basic health and psychological support services in Tripoli in August

International Medical Corps (IMC)

International NGO

Basic medical care, psychological support, strengthening physical rehabilitation and community outreach in Benghazi

Ongoing

ICRC

International Organization

War surgery training, evacuation of mine/ERW survivors and other war wounded, provided emergency and first-level care training for members of the ICRC National Society, emergency service and hospital staff, and civil defense personnel

Ceased direct support to Benghazi Rehabilitation Center; began work to establish prosthetics and orthotics training program

Emergency and ongoing medical care

Prior to the outbreak of conflict in 2011, Libya had a well-functioning medical system. The availability of medical care decreased in 2011 as thousands of foreign medical professionals working in Libya returned to their countries of origin, and power cuts, lack of funding, and a lack of medical supplies prevented the remaining medical professionals from responding to the increased demand for emergency care from mine/ERW survivors and other victims of the conflict.[25] In 2012, the Ministry of Health assumed leadership for the reconstruction of the healthcare system with a focus on ensuring basic medical care throughout the country, including in rural and remote areas.[26]

In 2012, the government continued to provide for the evacuation of large numbers of injured to hospitals in other countries for extended treatment.[27] The ICRC also continued limited evacuation of mine/ERW survivors to ensure access to emergency medical care.[28] Merlin and the ICRC continued to provide medical equipment and supplies to treat the injuries of mine/ERW survivors and other victims of the armed conflict.[29]

In 2012, the ICRC provided training to address traumatic war injuries, such as those caused by mines/ERW, to doctors and medical personnel.[30] The ICRC provided direct support to hospitals and first aid stations; more than 600 emergency service personnel and ICRC National Society members were trained in emergency and first-level care, while 35 doctors enhanced their capacities to manage emergencies and handle trauma patients. Over 120 surgeons received war-surgery training and another five surgeons attended advanced courses abroad with ICRC sponsorship.[31] However, in January 2012 MSF suspended its surgical activities (begun in Misrata in 2011) due to the high number of torture victims being treated from detention centers, and then suspended all activities nationwide by August.[32]

Physical Rehabilitation, including prosthetics

In 2012, the ICRC ceased direct assistance to the Benghazi Rehabilitation Center.[33] It had supported their provision of rehabilitation services from August 2011 so that the center could be reopened and could respond to the increase in conflict-related injuries; before that, mine/ERW survivors had to be sent outside the country for physical rehabilitation. Also in 2012, the IMC continued to support the strengthening of physical rehabilitation at the Benghazi Rehabilitation Center and developed a community and mobile outreach service to increase access.[34] Merlin, an international organization, continued to provide physical rehabilitation services to mine/ERW and other war victims in the Nefusa mountains.[35] The Ministry of Health and the International Trust Fund: Enhancing Human Security (ITF) ended their project in January 2012. The ITF had provided additional immediate rehabilitation treatment for mine/ERW survivors outside Libya and had also provided support to strengthen rehabilitation capacities within the country.[36]

To address the long-term physical rehabilitation capacity in Libya, the ICRC signed an agreement with the University of Tripoli in September 2012 on the joint development and implementation of a prosthetics and orthotics degree program, aiming to increase the low number of prosthetics and orthotics professionals in Libya.[37]

Economic Inclusion

In 2012, the interim government provided the war-wounded, including mine/ERW survivors, with monetary payments and preferential hiring for some government positions.[38] There was no information available on economic inclusion initiatives for mine/ERW survivors in 2012.

Psychological Support

By June 2012, MSF established a network of psychologists in Misrata, provided training in war trauma and therapeutic tools, and supported their efforts to counsel members of the community.[39] MSF ended its psychological support activities in Libya in August 2012.[40] IMC continued its mental health and psychosocial support program in Benghazi, Misrata, and Sirte to increase access to war trauma counseling and develop long-term mental health capacity in the country.[41]

Laws and Policies

The rights of persons with disabilities were protected by a law passed by the previous government. As of the end of 2012, the interim government had not made any changes to existing disability laws or policies. Few public buildings were accessible to persons with disabilities.[42]

Libya signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 1 May 2008.

 



[1] Data is considered partial since the Libya Mine Action Center (LMAC) did not respond to repeated requests for 2012 casualty data or other questions regarding updates to information provided for the previous report. Monitor analysis of casualty data provided by: emails from Benoit Darrieux, Head of Mission, Handicap International (HI), 11 April 2013; Jennifer Reeves, Weapons Contamination Coordinator, ICRC, 16 July 2012; Abdulmonem Alaiwan, Director, LMAC, 17 June 2012; Alexandra Arango, Community Liaison Manager, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), 20 March 2012; Teresa Tavares, Risk Education Project Manager, HI, 16 March 2012; Jonas Herzog, Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Officer, Joint Mine Action Coordination Team (JMACT), 8 March 2012; and media monitoring 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011. UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Portfolio of Mine Action Projects, Project Results: Libya, www.mineaction.org/resources/project?search_type=country&c=109, accessed 31 August 2013; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[2] The sex of one child casualty was unknown.

[3] The majority of data provided to the Monitor contained sufficient detail regarding incidents to determine both the activity at the time and the action that initiated the explosion.

[4] There were five casualties for which the civil status was not known.

[5] Email from Benoit Darrieux, HI, 11 April 2013.

[6] Casualties from ammunition storage site explosions are not included within Monitor casualty definitions. Database of Accident Records (DDAS), Libya, www.ddasonline.com/, accessed 29 September 2013.

[7] Monitor analysis of casualty data provided by: emails from Benoit Darrieux, HI, 11 April 2013; Jennifer Reeves, ICRC, 16 July 2012; Abdulmonem Alaiwan, LMAC, 17 June 2012; Alexandra Arango, MAG, 20 March 2012; Teresa Tavares, HI, 16 March 2012; Jonas Herzog, JMACT, 8 March 2012; and media monitoring 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011. UNMAS, Portfolio of Mine Action Projects, Project Results: Libya, www.mineaction.org/resources/project?search_type=country&c=109, accessed 31 August 2013; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[8] UNMAS, Portfolio of Mine Action Projects, Project Results: Libya, www.mineaction.org/resources/project?search_type=country&c=109, accessed 31 August 2013.

[9] Prior to February 2011, the LDA had been part of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), and was known as the Anti-Mines Association.

[10] Ahmed Besharah, “World War II mines planted in Libya and its socio-economic impact,” Libyan Jihad Center for Historical Studies, Tripoli, 1995, p. 153.

[11] UNICEF, “Libya: Protecting children from unexploded ordnance,” Misrata, 6 June 2011, www.unicef.org.au/Discover/Field-Stories/May-2011/Libya--Protecting-children-from-unexploded-ordnanc.aspx, accessed 15 August 2011; Ruth Sherlock, “Unlucky camel finds Libya’s largest minefield,” Al Jazeera, 28 June 2011, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/06/201162892022264206.html, accessed 15 August 2011; email from James Wheeler, Photographer, 10 August 2011; and UNICEF, “UNICEF Situation Report # 19 - Sub-regional Libya crisis,” 29 June 2011, reliefweb.int/report/libya/unicef-situation-report-19-sub-regional-libya-crisis, accessed 15 August 2011.

[12] UNICEF, “Libya: Protecting children from unexploded ordnance,” Misrata, 6 June 2011, www.unicef.org.au/Discover/Field-Stories/May-2011/Libya--Protecting-children-from-unexploded-ordnanc.aspx, accessed 15 August 2011.

[13] Casualty data provided via emails from Abdulmonem Alaiwan, LMAC, 17 June 2012; and Jennifer Reeves, ICRC, 16 July 2012.

[14] Ahmed Besharah, “World War II mines planted in Libya and its socio-economic impact,” Libyan Jihad Center for Historical Studies, Tripoli, 1995, p. 153.

[15] See previous Libya country profiles at the Monitor, www.the-monitor.org.

[16] Statement of Libya, Eighth Meeting of States Parties, Dead Sea, 18 November 2007; and statement of Libya, Ninth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 26 November 2008.

[17] Email from Abdulmonem Alaiwan, LMAC, 17 June 2012.

[18] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[19] Ibid.

[20] UNMAS, “Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,” www.mineaction.org/country.asp?c=109, accessed 18 July 2012.

[21] Email from Abdulmonem Alaiwan, LMAC, 17 June 2012.

[22] United States (US) Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Libya,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.

[23] WHO, “WHO Representative Office in Libya,” undated but 2012, accessed 19 September 2013.

[24] Following the start of conflict in February 2011, numerous international organizations began providing humanitarian relief to the Libyan population. The organizations listed here are those whose response included a focus on the care and rehabilitation of injuries from explosive weapons such as mines and ERW. Merlin, “Libya,” www.merlin.org.uk/libya, accessed 19 September 2013; Merlin, “Extending our reach in Libya,” 6 September 2011, www.merlin.org.uk/extending-our-reach-libya, accessed 19 July 2012; Catriona Davis, “Libyan children pay high price for curiosity over weapons,” CNN, 4 January 2012, www.edition.cnn.com/2012/01/04/world/africa/libya-gun-accidents/, accessed 19 July 2012; International Medical Corps (IMC), “Our work in Libya,” www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/where-we-work/middle-east/libya/, accessed 19 September 2013; Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), “Where We Work: Libya,” www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=5495&cat=field-news, accessed 14 September 2013; MSF, “International Activity Report 2012 – Libya,” undated, p. 61; ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, pp. 149–153; ICRC, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012, pp. 138–140; and ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP), “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 37.

[25] “Overstretched health service needs sustained support,” IRIN News (Benghazi), 1 September 2011, www.irinnews.org/Report/93627/LIBYA-Overstretched-health-service-needs-sustained-support, accessed 18 July 2012; and WHO, “Libya Crisis Update,” August 2011.

[26] WHO, “WHO Representative Office in Libya,” undated but 2012, accessed 19 September 2013; and WHO, “Rebuilding the Libyan health system, post-revolution,” February 2012, www.who.int/features/2012/libya_health_system/en/index.html, accessed 17 July 2012.

[27] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Libya,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.

[28] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[29] Merlin, “Libya,” www.merlin.org.uk/libya, accessed 19 September 2013; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[30] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152; ICRC, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012, pp. 138–140; and “Overstretched health service needs sustained support,” IRIN News (Benghazi), 1 September 2011, www.irinnews.org/Report/93627/LIBYA-Overstretched-health-service-needs-sustained-support, accessed 18 July 2012.

[31] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 37; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 152.

[32] MSF, “Where We Work: Libya,” www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=5495&cat=field-news, accessed 14 September 2013; and MSF, “International Activity Report 2012 – Pakistan,” undated, p. 61.

[33] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, pp. 25, 37.

[34] IMC, “Our work in Libya,” www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/where-we-work/middle-east/libya/, accessed 19 September 2013.

[35] Merlin, “Libya,” www.merlin.org.uk/libya, accessed 19 September 2013; and Merlin, “Extending our reach in Libya,” 6 September 2011, www.merlin.org.uk/extending-our-reach-libya, accessed 19 July 2012.

[36] ITF, “Memorandum of Understanding Signed with Libyan Ministry for War Wounded, Martyrs and Missing Persons,” 20 January 2012, www.itf-fund.si/news/memorandum-of-understanding-signed-with-libyan-ministry-for-war-wounded-martyrs-and-missing-persons, accessed 12 October 2013.

[37] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 15, 37 & 149.

[38] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Libya,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.

[39] MSF, “Libya: MSF Helps Build Psychological Network In Misrata,” 14 July 2011, www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=5440&cat=field-news, accessed 17 July 2012.

[40] MSF, “Where We Work: Libya,” www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=5495&cat=field-news, accessed 14 September 2013; and MSF, “International Activity Report 2012 – Pakistan,” undated, p. 61.

[41] IMC, “Our work in Libya,” www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/where-we-work/middle-east/libya/; and IMC, “Q&A: Addressing the Mental Health Consequences of War in Libya,” 29 March 2012, www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/latest-news/qa-addressing-the-mental-health-consequences-of-war-in-libya/, accessed 19 September 2013.

[42] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Libya,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013.