The inauguration ceremony for the first DNA Analysis Laboratory was held in Tripoli on Tuesday by the General Authority for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and Missing Persons (GACFMMP).
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) stated on its website that the laboratory, which is the first of its kind in Libya, was equipped under the auspices of the NOC and the oil giant Repsol, adding that this laboratory will help alleviate the suffering of thousands of families of martyrs and missing persons throughout Libya.
The Director General of the Health and Safety Department of the NOC, Khalid Boukhatwa, stressed the important role of the laboratory in identifying the links between martyrs, missing persons and their families through using advanced techniques by DNA tracing.
Boukhatwa added that the NOC and Repsol will continue to provide support until the the laboratory gains maximum efficiency.
For his part, the Director of the Tracing Department of the GACFMMP, Kamal Abu Bakr, confirmed that the DNA laboratory is the first of its kind in Libya, indicating that it is equipped with the latest equipment supervised by highly qualified technical staff.
Before the opening of this laboratory, Libya lacked the existence of this technique, forcing authorities to take samples from the remains of bodies found in mass graves or bodies that have not been identified ever since the war against Gaddafi`s forces in 2011 for future DNA testing.
