Libya: 106 killed in Tripoli clashes since August

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI

The death toll of the armed clashes that have rocked the Libyan capital Tripoli since late last month rose to 106 people as of Saturday, while cautious calm currently prevails Tripoli, according to Libya’s Tripoli-based Health Ministry.

In armed clashes between militias affiliated with Libya’s UN-backed unity government since Aug. 26, 106 people have been killed, 365 others injured and 18 people have gone missing, the Health Ministry announced Saturday.

The violence first erupted after Libya’s Seventh Infantry Brigade (affiliated with the Defense Ministry) accused the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade (affiliated with the Interior Ministry) of attacking its positions on the city’s southern outskirts.

On Thursday alone, 11 people were killed -- including five civilians -- and another 33 injured, according to Libya’s Tripoli-based Health Ministry.

On Sept. 4, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) declared a cease-fire after dozens had reportedly been killed in the capital.

Six days later, however, fighting resumed following an armed attack on the headquarters of Libya’s National Oil Corporation.

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.