On January 4, 2020, a missile strike was conducted on a military school used by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, Libya during a siege of Tripoli by the Libyan National Army (LNA). Twenty-six people were killed and thirty-three were wounded.
The GNA blamed the LNA for the attack. The LNA denied involvement and blamed responsibility of the strike on shelling by militants. According to a BBC report, the drone strike was conducted by a United Arab Emirates controlled drone. The UAE denied involvement in the strike.
The Libyan National Army, a rival government and faction that fought the UN-recognized Government of National Accord during the Second Libyan Civil War, launched an offensive against the GNA headquarters and Libyan capital of Tripoli in April 2019.[1] On December 12, 2019, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced the "final battle" for Tripoli, committing more forces to the city.[2] The LNA also increased its air presence around the city.[3] In the Hadhba neighborhood that same day, five civilians were killed by LNA bombings.[4]
Airstrike
Around 9pm on January 4, around 50 cadets of the GNA-affiliated Al-Hadhba military school were on a parade grounds, waiting to be sent back to their dormitories.[5] Most of the cadets were students between the ages of 18 and 22, from cities across Libya.[3] When the paramedics arrived, it was hard to discern and identify bodies due to many being charred.[3][1] Videos from Tripoli hospitals showed limbless cadets and bloodied floors.[6] The initial death toll of the attack reported by the GNA was sixteen killed and thirty-seven injured, but this rose to twenty-six killed and thirty-three injured.[7] A survivor of the attack stated he saw "guys whose torsos were separated from their bodies... and we couldn't do anything."[5]
Aftermath
According to a BBC report, the missile strike was conducted by a United Arab Emirates operated drone.[8] The missile was reported by BBC to be a Chinese Blue Arrow 7 missile fired from a Wing Loong II drone.[8][5] The United Arab Emirates denied involvement in the incident, stating the cadets were killed in a bombardment by local forces.[9]
Students who survived the attack urged international authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable for the airstrike in a statement given on the one-year anniversary of the airstrike.[10]
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Libyan National Army (alleged, denied)
United Arab Emirates (alleged, denied)