Nairobi, Jul 3 (IANS): The African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday strongly condemned the deadly attack on a refugee and migrant centre in the Libyan capital which killed 40 people.

An airstrike allegedly launched by forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar hit the centre located in Tajoura town in Tripoli on Tuesday night.

"It is a horrific crime that must be fully investigated. Migrants caught in the ceasefire must be protected urgently," Mahamat wrote on Twitter.

He urged all parties to the conflict to halt hostilities and engage in efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire in order to protect all civilians.

The Chadian former Minister of Foreign Affairs also called on the international community "for an urgent humanitarian effort to protect vulnerable migrants".

In April, Haftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) to launch an offensive and capture the Libyan capital, a battle that left nearly 600 people dead and over 5,000 others injured.

Some 30,000 families have been displaced because of the fighting.

The clashes also have affected thousands of migrants, mostly Sub-Saharan Africans, trying to reach Europe or being held in detention centres after failing to do so.