TRIPOLI (Sputnik) – At least 13 people were killed and 52 others injured in violent clashes between local armed groups, which erupted in the Libyan capital of Tripoli earlier this week, the Libyan Health Ministry said in a statement shared with Sputnik.
“The number of people killed in the clashes, which erupted last Wednesday, grew to 13 people while 52 people, including women and children, have been injured,” the statement read.
The fighting between rival groups — militias from Tripoli and 7th Brigade from the nearby town of Tarhunah — have recently intensified.
Both groups were active in the area in August, which brought multiple casualties. In order to settle the crisis, a ceasefire deal between them was reached under the UN auspices in September. However, the clashes subsequently continued.
The fractured country of Libya has been lingering in a state of turmoil since the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 NATO-backed political revolt. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country’s west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
