Deadly clashes between Libyan factions leave 27 dead

Tripoli, Aug 16 (EFE).- At least 27 lives have been lost in armed clashes between rival Libyan factions in Tripoli, medical sources said on Wednesday.

The violence, which erupted on Monday, resulted in over 100 injuries before a ceasefire effective from Wednesday morning was brokered by the national unity government.

However, it was not immediately clear how many of the dead and the injured were militiamen or civilians.

But medical emergency services said the fighting claimed 27 lives in the two days of violence.

The clashes, stemming from the detention of Brigade 444 leader Mahmoud Hamza by the rival Special Deterrence Force, 7mark the year’s most severe outbreak of violence.

The bloodshed follows a period of relative calm as political actors work towards general elections and stability in the country at war after Muammar Gadhafi’s fall in 2011.

As the warring parties discussed the truce on Tuesday, Hamza was transferred to the custody of the Stability Support Authority to defuse tensions, a Brigade 444 member told EFE.

Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbebiba convened meetings with district leaders and community figures to implement the Wednesday morning ceasefire.

Mitiga International Airport resumed flight operations following a day of closure on Tuesday.

Hundreds of families had to be evacuated from the conflict-affected zones, which extended from the southern areas of the capital to the outskirts of downtown Tripoli.

The Ministry of Education suspended secondary school examinations in the municipalities of the affected area. EFE

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