An investigative documentary aired by BBC Arabic on April 30 exposed alleged war crimes that had been seemingly committed by members of the Libyan National Army under the leadership of General Khalifa Haftar. The atrocious acts of violence were documented and widely shared by the perpetrators themselves on several social media platforms and YouTube. BBC Arabic uncovered evidence in the form of images and videos depicting the desecration and humiliation of dead fighters and civilians including women, children, and elderly citizens. The desecration of bodies is considered a war crime punishable under the international law and absolutely abhorred by Islam. More than 100 pictures and videos were discovered showing gruesome violence, including the mutilation of fighters’ bodies, a crime that has been prohibited for hundreds of years. The BBC investigation successfully identified many implicated LNA fighters, most of whom are members of the army’s elite unit, Al-Saiqa special forces.
The notorious Al-Saiqa commander, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, is seen in several of these shocking videos proudly committing cruel, dehumanizing, and degrading executions. Al-Werfalli is a familiar name in similar controversies as he was indicted in August 2017 by the International Criminal Court for being directly responsible for the killing of 33 persons in Benghazi by personally killing them or by ordering their execution.
Also among the offenders identified in these videos is the prominent LNA fighter Sherif al-Marghany who is currently the spokesman for the Al-Saiqa unit. Posts dated to 2015 describe al-Marghany as an al-Saiqa sniper and an investigative officer in the ranks of “Operation Dignity”. He personally uploaded a video onto his Facebook page in which he is seen celebrating the death of a jihadist commander. Al-Marghany’s Facebook account includes pictures of him with General Haftar and one of him wearing the uniform of the Al-Saiqa Brigade.
Another LNA fighter identified by the BBC investigation is Zakaria Ferkash who took a picture of himself posing near a body that was exhumed from its burial place. His Facebook account features several pictures of him with al-Werfalli.
The other fighters BBC Arabic identified as committing suspected war crimes are still at large and the Libyan National Army has not yet come forward with any comments regarding the allegations.
