Militias in deadly clash in Tripoli
TRIPOLI: Deadly clashes have broken out in Libya’s capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.
At least 23 people were killed and 140 more wounded, the Health Ministry said yesterday. It added that 64 families were evacuated from areas around the fighting.
The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years. The oilrich nation plunged into chaos following a
Natobacked uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Emergency services spokesman Malek Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate the wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting, which erupted overnight and continued into Saturday evening (local time).
The Health Ministry said hospitals and medical centres in the capital were shelled, and ambulance teams were barred from evacuating civilians, in acts that ‘‘amount to war crimes’’.
The municipal council of Tripoli blamed the ruling political class for the deteriorating situation in the capital, and urged the international community to ‘‘protect civilians in Libya’’.
The violence caused widespread panic among Tripoli residents. Footage circulated online showed houses, government facilities and vehicles apparently damaged from the fighting. Other footage showed militia forces deploying and heavy fire being exchanged across the night sky.
The UN mission in Libya said the fighting involved ‘‘indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilianpopulated neighbourhoods’’ of Tripoli, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The clashes pitted the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade militia, led by Haitham Tajouri, against another militia allied with AbdelGhani alKikli, an infamous warlord known as ‘‘Gheniwa,’’ according to local media. Later on Saturday, more militias joined the fighting.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Government claimed the clashes broke out when one militia fired at another. — AAP