Amnesty International called on Khalifa Haftar's forces to reveal the fate and whereabouts of former Defense Minister Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi and 18 of his relatives and supporters.
Amnesty International added in a report, marking a year since the enforced disappearance of Al-Barghathi, that his fate and the fate of those with him remained unknown amid fears that they may have been executed.
It pointed out that six other people were killed out of 40 missing persons following the clashes that took place in Al-Salmani, including Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi's son and two of his relatives, two members of the 204th Battalion, and a sheep trader.
On October 6, 2023, Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi returned to Benghazi before violent clashes broke out in the eastern Al-Salmani area, the neighborhood where Al-Barghathi's family lived, in an attempt to arrest Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi and those who returned with him.
As a result, Haftar's forces cut off communications with the city and its suburbs for days. After days of security tension in the city, pro-Haftar media sources reported the end of what they called a security operation targeting what they described as “security cells” in Benghazi, in reference to those accompanying Mahdi al-Barghathi. Pro-Haftar media outlets, citing military sources, reported that some people were killed and others arrested, without revealing any additional details.
