Skip to main content

Deadly clashes shake Libya's capital, killing 13 civilians

Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya's capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.

At least 13 civilians were killed and over 95 wounded, the Health Ministry said. 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 oil-rich nation plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Among the fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, according to Malek Merset, an emergency services spokesman.

Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting that erupted overnight and continued into Saturday.

The Health Ministry said in a statement hospitals and medical centers 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.

WHERE THE WAR IN UKRAINE STANDS AT 6-MONTH MILESTONE

The U.N. mission in Libya said the fighting involved "indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods" of Tripoli.

The mission called for an immediate cease-fire, and for all parties in Libya to "refrain from using any form of hate speech and incitement to violence."

The clashes pitted the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade militia, led by Haitham Tajouri, against another militia allied with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, an infamous warlord known as "Gheniwa," according to local media.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which is based in Tripoli, claimed the clashes broke out when one militia fired at another.

POPE FRANCIS EXPANDS RANKS OF CARDINALS WHO'LL LIKELY PICK SUCCESSOR

The fighting, however, is highly likely part of ongoing power struggle between Dbeibah and his rival Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha who is operating from the coast city of Sirte.

Both Dbeibah and Bashagha are backed by militias, and the latter was mobilizing in recent weeks to try to enter Tripoli to dislodge his rival.

An attempt in May by Bashagha to install his government in Tripoli triggered clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the capital.

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland urged for de-escalation "before things get worse" and for Libyan parties to agree on an early date for elections.



from Fox News https://ift.tt/Jd1uPmD
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

China reaffirms threat of military force to annex Taiwan

China on Wednesday reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring self-governing Taiwan under its control, amid threatening Chinese military exercises that have raised tensions between the sides to their highest level in years. The lengthy policy statement issued by the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office and its news department followed almost a week of missile firings and incursions into Taiwanese waters and airspace by Chinese warships and air force planes. The actions have disrupted flights and shipping in a region crucial to global supply chains, prompting strong condemnation from the U.S., Japan and others. An English-language version of the Chinese statement said Beijing would "work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification." TAIWAN SAYS CHINA MILITARY DRILLS PART OF PLAN FOR IMPENDING INVASION "But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

China's Sanya Island getaway shutting down its duty free malls amid COVID outbreak

Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak . Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Hainan's duty-free industry has boomed, becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach, La Mer to L'Oreal to reach Chinese shoppers. But Sanya International Duty Free City in Haitang Bay, run by China Duty Free Group and Hainan's largest offshore mall, shut for an undetermined period on Friday to prevent COVID-19 spreading, a post on its Weibo account said. BEIJING RESIDENTS ASKED TO WEAR MONITORING BRACELETS TO ENFORCE COVID QUARANTINE, PROMPTING OUTCRY This closure comes even though no cases in Hainan's current outbreak have been detected in Haitang Bay as yet. While the case numbers in China are small compared to the rest of the world, Beijing pursues a "dynamic zero" policy that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

China begins discouraging abortions and promoting fertility treatment as birth rate plummets

China will discourage abortions and take steps to make fertility treatment more accessible as part of efforts to boost one of the world's lowest birth rates , its National Health Authority said on Tuesday. Support measures from taxation and insurance to education and housing would be improved and implemented, with local governments encouraged to boost infant care services and family friendly workplaces, according to guidelines published on the authority's website. The authority said it would carry out reproductive health promotion to enhance public awareness while "preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing abortions that are not medically necessary." VIRUS TESTING THE NEW NORMAL AS CHINA STICKS TO ‘ZERO-COVID’ China's fertility rate of 1.16 in 2021 was far below the 2.1 OECD standard for a stable population and among the lowest in the world. The guidelines come as China's uncompromising "zero-COVID" policy of curbing outbreaks with strict co...
Post a Comment
Read more