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| Subject: Statists at each other's throats: Fighting Grips Tripoli As Libya Faces New Violence Among Rivals Mon Apr 08, 2019 10:32 pm | |
| Rapidly escalating violence is limiting civilians' ability to travel in and out of Libya's capital. An airstrike on Tripoli's international airport Monday and other recent clashes have now forced some 3,400 people to leave their homes, according to the U.N.'s Humanitarian Affairs office.
"Clashes with heavy weapons are affecting residential areas, and an unknown additional number of civilians are unable to flee these locations," the office said Monday.
The fighting intensified over the weekend, as soldiers loyal to Khalifa Haftar — the former army chief who now leads the Libyan National Army — neared the capital. Haftar, who is aligned with Gaddafi regime loyalists, has amassed power and resources in eastern Libya. Last week, he launched an offensive to the west, aiming to take control of the capital.
The death toll from the clashes has risen to at least 51, the Associated Press reports — citing a figure that includes both civilian and military casualties.
Relief workers are warning of a wide range of potential risks, from emergency aid that's been blocked by the fighting to possible long-term damage to the city's infrastructure. It's the latest sign of renewed instability in Libya, where conflict and political uncertainty have lingered since 2011.
As he pressed his fight against the U.N.-backed central Government of National Accord, or GNA, Haftar launched an air strike on the city's lone functioning civilian airport, Mitiga, on Monday.
The attack "constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure," the U.N. Support Mission in Libya said.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/08/711123040/fighting-grips-tripoli-as-libya-faces-new-violence-among-rivals
_________________ Anarcho-Capitalist, AnCaps Forum, Ancapolis, OZschwitz Contraband “The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.”-- Max Stirner "Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann |
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