Death toll of clashes in Libya’s Tripoli rises to 55

TRIPOLI: Fifty-five people have been killed and 126 injured in the clashes that erupted in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday, local media reported.

The reports said that the victims include civilians and security personnel, while several bodies remain unidentified.

Violent clashes erupted in parts of Tripoli later on Monday between the 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force following the latter’s reported arrest of a powerful 444 Brigade commander.

The Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that the clashes stopped when the warring factions agreed to a cease-fire “with the efforts of the Prime Minister and elders of Tripoli.”

During a meeting on Wednesday with many elders of Tripoli, Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah, the Libyan prime minister, rejected the “return of fighting” in the country.

“The prime minister said that the return of fighting is unacceptable and that the country does not tolerate any irresponsible behavior, stressing the importance of cooperation with all security agencies to enforce security,” said a statement issued by the government’s information office.

Libya has witnessed violence and insecurity since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

• Source – Xinhua