The shooting took place at the Mabani Collection and Return Center in Tripoli, according to the charity, also known by its short French name, Doctors Without Borders.
A migrant was killed and two others, ages 17 and 18, were injured and taken to a hospital run by the charity.
“This shooting demonstrates the grave risks that people face while being held in these detention centers for an indefinite period of time,” said Eileen van der Velden, MSF Libya Operations Director.
Médecins Sans Frontières said that the buildings’ facility is housing around 1,500 migrants, up from 300 in early February, confirming an increase in European-bound migrants intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard.
She added that more than 6,000 migrants were intercepted this year on the Mediterranean Sea while trying to flee Libya to find a better life in Europe.
The International Relief Organization said that tensions have escalated in recent weeks within the institutions housing refugees and migrants, including women, children and unaccompanied minors.
Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Smugglers often crowd desperate families into poorly equipped inflatable boats that get stuck and stumble on the dangerous Central Mediterranean route.
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