No, UN and Tunisian Embassy in Tripoli Did Not Evacuate Offices
The Claim
The U.N. office in Libya’s Ain Zara had been evacuated. U.N. cars are now evacuating the Tunisian embassy and taking the ambassador and staff to a safe location.
News posted on
Emerging story
Twitter and Facebook accounts have recently circulated a photo of U.N. cars claiming it documented the U.N’s Mission’s evacuation in Libya’s Ain Zara. Meanwhile, other pages and accounts said that the photo documented the evacuation of the Tunisian embassy in Tripoli.
Photo Description: The screenshots capture the purported photo that was shared on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s team has investigated the circulated claim and found that it was fake. No credible media outlet had published the news, let alone any Libyan media outlet. In addition, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya tweeted that the Mission has no offices in Ain Zara. The tweet also said that the Mission had no offices in Aiz Zara.
The Tunisian Embassy in Tripoli also denied the claim on its official Facebook page, reaffirming that the Embassy is operating normally and safely.
Looking at the circulated photo, Misbar did not find the photo elsewhere, nor was able to determine the history of when it first appeared online. Still, it does look like it was indeed taken in front of the Tunisian embassy in Tripoli.
The claim has been circulating following news stating the possibility of postponing the Libyan presidential elections scheduled for December 24.
Translated by Ahmed N. A. Almassri
