UN / LIBYA AMBULANCE ATTACK

An attack on an ambulance in Tripoli on Wednesday that has critically injured the head of emergency services in Libya’s war-torn capital, along with two paramedics, was strongly condemned by UN humanitarians. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:13
• Production Date: 9 May 2019
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: FARHAN HAQ; MARIA DO VALLE RIBEIRO
• Corporate Name: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - WHO
• Subject Topical: CONFLICT SITUATION; HEALTH SERVICES
• Geographic Subject: LIBYA
• MAMS Id: 2392136
• Parent Id: 2392136
• Alternate Title: unifeed190509e

Description

STORY: UN / LIBYA AMBULANCE ATTACK
TRT: 01:13
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 09 MAY 2019, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

09 MAY 2019, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Farhan Haq at the podium
3. Wide shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“The Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, and the World Health Organization strongly condemned an attack on an ambulance in Tripoli yesterday that left three health workers injured, including the Director of the Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services. WHO says that, since the conflict escalated in early April, 11 additional ambulances have been impacted or suffered collateral damage. In April, three health workers were killed in Tripoli. As the conflict continues into its second month, more than 400 people have died and over 2,000 have been wounded. Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said the attack was a flagrant breach of the basic rules of warfare that could jeopardize the operations of field hospitals and ambulance teams, and deter health staff from performing their duties. The Humanitarian Coordinator prevailed upon parties to the conflict to respect their clear obligation under International Humanitarian Law to protect medical teams.”
5. Med shot, journalists
6. Wide shot, Farhan Haq at the podium

Storyline

An attack on an ambulance in Tripoli on Wednesday (8 May) that has critically injured the head of emergency services in Libya’s war-torn capital, along with two paramedics, was strongly condemned by UN humanitarians.

A UN spokesperson, Farhan Haq, today (9 May) said, “the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, and the World Health Organization strongly condemned an attack on an ambulance in Tripoli yesterday that left three health workers injured, including the Director of the Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services.”

Haq said that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “since the conflict escalated in early April, 11 additional ambulances have been impacted or suffered collateral damage. In April, three health workers were killed in Tripoli.”

Health workers and civilians have not been spared in heavy clashes that erupted between the internationally recognized Government and eastern forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army, marking the latest episode in spiralling violence that followed the overthrow of President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

As the conflict continues into its second month, more than 400 people have died and some 2,000 have been wounded, in addition to the thousands of displaced civilians, according to the WHO.

Since the beginning of the Tripoli clashes, WHO has been supporting field hospitals and field ambulance teams, providing medical supplies that include trauma kits with medicines for war injuries.

It has also deployed emergency medical teams to key referral hospitals to perform surgery in and around Tripoli.