Survivors of the deadly air strikes on a migrant detention centre in Libya that killed at least 60 people, have protested and asked for urgent evacuation.

Since the attack on Tuesday July 2, hundreds of migrants and refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and other countries have been sleeping outside the Tajoura detention centre, in East Tripoli, reluctant to return inside for fear of another attack, Al-Jazeera reported.

The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) has blamed renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar for the attacks, while a spokesperson for his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) denied it was responsible.

At least six survivors still in Tajoura, communicating with Al-Jazeera using hidden phones and wishing to remain anonymous, said some migrants were staging a hunger strike.

“We haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. We are fasting… until they make a decision,”stated one man, adding, “We don't need food. The only solution is to get us out of here. We need evacuation to a safe place."

The survivors noted they remain frightened even though doctors visited the location to give medical and psychological assistance.

They added that on Thursday, the guards tried to make them go back inside halls that were close to the weapons storage area, threatening to call fighters to force them inside if they did not comply.

Communicating through Facebook, a spokesperson for the Tajoura detention centre confirmed the detainees had refused to move inside but denied there was a weapons store near it.

Al-Jazeera was sent a recording in which Libyan guards can be heard shouting at the refugees and migrants to get inside.

“The cell they want [to] lock us in is connected to three weapons store,” said a Sudanese refugee, stating, “As a human being, how can you put people in cells near weapons? We don't need to stay in Tajoura, please help us, world,” said another man.

On Saturday morning, survivors also told Al-Jazeera they could hear further air attack in the distance.

“This morning, we could hear air strikes taking place about 400 to 500 metres from us. [The targets were hit] four times, so we are scared,” said an Eritrean man, adding, "The jets are still flying around us so we can’t understand why the UN refugee agency did not take immediate action of evacuating us to a safe place.

“Now we expect death only,” he stated.

Another Sudanese man said they could hear heavy weapons being used around them.

“We’re still on a hunger strike and nobody cares about us. We are still waiting in the heat. Our brothers are dead, why is no one answering?” he added.

Survivors say they rejected a UNHCR plan to take 58 of them to a centre run by the organisation in a safer part of the city, adding they worried whoever was left behind would be abandoned and Tajoura’s guards would confiscate their phones so they couldn’t appeal for help any more.

UNHCR did not respond to a request for comment.

Almost 1,000 people have been killed since Haftar launched a push three months ago to capture Tripoli, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced. Spurred by the attack on Tuesday, the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire on Friday.

#FARS NewsAgency