News / North Africa

Libya tribal clashes leave more than 31 dead

Sunday, 13 May 2018 3:57 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 13 May 2018 5:50 PM ]

Rival militias clash in southern Libyan city of Sabha in this March 2012 file photo. (Photo by Reuters)

Fighting between rival tribes that has rocked a southern Libya town for weeks has killed more than 31 people since the beginning of May, a medical source said on Sunday.

Eight of them were killed on the weekend when the violence flared in Sebha, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tripoli, the source said, adding that 18 others were wounded in the clashes.

Sebha, where tribal rivalries have frequently spilt over into bloodshed, has been rocked by violence since February.

On Saturday, the rival tribes fought for the control of an ancient hilltop citadel that overlooks Sebha, a region known for its smuggling routes.

The fighting is pitting the Arab Alwad Suleiman tribe against the Tubus, who are repeatedly accused by their detractors of including foreign fighters, namely from Chad, in their ranks.

Since the beginning of May more than 31 people have been killed and 121 wounded in the tribal clashes, the medical source said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The UN mission in Libya UNSMIL has repeatedly expressed concern for the escalation in fighting.

A statement posted on its Twitter account late Saturday said UNSMIL is "deeply disturbed at the most recent escalation in Sebha".

It said it deplored the death of "some civilians" in the clashes and called on both sides to observe restraints.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has also called for a ceasefire in Sebha.

Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oil-rich country.

A UN-backed unity government based in the capital Tripoli and headed by Sarraj has struggled to assert its authority outside the west, and military strongman Khalifa Haftar controls much of the east.

(Source: AFP)

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