A mediation effort successfully led to an agreement on Saturday to halt clashes between two armed groups in the eastern suburbs of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, according to a government source.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been torn by violence and divided between two rival camps © Mena Today
A mediation effort successfully led to an agreement on Saturday to halt clashes between two armed groups in the eastern suburbs of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, according to a government source.
The fighting initially broke out midday on Friday and briefly resumed on Saturday in Tajoura, a town located about 20 kilometers east of Tripoli. The violent confrontations resulted in the deaths of nine people on Friday, with dozens more injured, according to a statement from Tripoli’s Ambulance and Emergency Services.
"The fighting stopped thanks to an agreement and mediations conducted by other armed groups," a source from the Ministry of Interior of the Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli told AFP on Saturday.
A military force under the authority of the Chief of Staff and the Ministry of Defense in Tripoli intervened to stop the clashes. The mediation, accepted by both parties involved—affiliated with the GNU—successfully ended the violence, the source added.
According to the agreement, fighters from the "Rahbat al-Dourou" and "Shouhada Sabriya" brigades withdrew from the areas they had occupied on Friday, allowing a neutral third group to take their place.
On Saturday, ambulance services reported evacuating 72 families from the combat zones. Additionally, the University of Tripoli, located near the conflict area, announced the suspension of classes as a precautionary measure.
The Tripoli-based government has not yet commented on the clashes.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been torn by violence and divided between two rival camps: the GNU led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah in the west and recognized by the UN, and a parallel executive affiliated with Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and parts of the south.
Despite a relative return to calm in recent years, periodic clashes still occur among the myriad of armed groups in the country, particularly in and around Tripoli.
The clashes on Friday coincided with movements by pro-Haftar troops in the south, rekindling fears of a civil war four years after a ceasefire was established. The UN mission in Libya has called for "de-escalation" and urged all parties to "avoid further tensions."
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