(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
On Saturday, a 6-year-old girl and her family became the victims of a UAE airstrike in Ganfouda, a neighbourhood under siege in Benghazi. The UAE used an Air-Tractor AT-802 to fire the airstrike, according to local news.
The airstrike hit Fathia’s home as she was folding her clothes in her bedroom.
“I heard the aircraft, I thought it will strike away from our house, but suddenly it struck ours. My father, my sister and her child were killed,” she said. “I have no clothes, I came here naked.”
6 year old Fathia lost her eyesight and suffered second-degree burns on her face from fire that was caused by the explosion.
Traumatized by what had happened to her, Fathia added, “I started shouting, oh baba come and help me, but he didn’t reply.”
Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement regarding the civilians, like Fathia, who are trapped by violence in Benghazi.
The intense fighting taking place in Ganfouda is between General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), who have forcefully imposed their illegitimate authority over civilians in eastern Libya, and the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC), who oppose Haftar’s control of eastern Libya.
Fighting between the two sides has been concentrated in the Ganfouda district, a suburb in Benghazi, where the BRSC originate from. Ganfouda and a few other areas in Benghazi have been put under siege by the LNA for opposing Haftar.
The homes of both civilians and foreign workers were destroyed by the airstrikes fired on Saturday by the UAE, who are known supporters of Haftar.
The military blockade of Ganfouda, which began in July 2014, has put the safety of many families at risk.