50 migrants wounded in Libyan detention centre clash

UNHCR said the protest had been 'driven by frustration and anxiety'

FILE - In this Sunday Feb. 18, 2018 file photo, refugees and migrants wait to be rescued by aid workers 60 miles north of Al-Khums, Libya. A migration official says survivors have told rescuers that up to 117 migrants might have died when a rubber dinghy capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. Flavio Di Giacomo of International Organization for Migration says three survivors were plucked to safety by an Italian navy helicopter Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 and they say 120 were aboard when the dinghy left Libya. The Italian Coast Guard says Libya asked a nearby cargo ship to search for survivors but reported that no one was found. (AP Photo/Olmo Calvo, File )
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At least 50 migrants were injured after a protest that was suppressed inside a detention centre in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the United Nations said on Friday.

The protest had been "driven by frustration and anxiety" as the migrants had been held for months "in extremely dire conditions," refugee agency UNHCR said.

"Around 50 people were reportedly injured when the authorities sought to suppress the protest. Two individuals were badly injured and transferred to Abu Salim hospital," UNHCR said, without giving more details.

A government official declined to comment, while the detention centre could not be for reached for comment.

Libya's west coast is a leading departure point in North Africa for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, mainly from other parts of Africa fleeing wars and poverty.