Deadly clashes between armed factions in Libya's capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes unable to escape the violence, medical authorities said. The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year.
Over 100 people were injured in the fighting, Libya's Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a medical body that is deployed during humanitarian disasters and wars, said early Wednesday.
It is unclear how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. The Red Crescent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The escalation follows months of relative peace after nearly a decade of civil war in Libya, where two rival sets of authorities are locked in a political stalemate. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours.
The Health Ministry urged the warring sides to allow ambulance and emergency teams to enter the affected areas, primarily in the south of the city, and for blood to be sent to nearby hospitals. It remains unclear how many casualties there are.
De-escalation calls
Both of Libya’s rival administrations also condemned the fighting in separate statements Tuesday.
In a statement, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya said it was following with concern “the security incidents and developments.'' It called for an immediate end to the ongoing armed clashes.
The U.S. and British embassies in Libya both issued online statements expressing their concerns about the escalating violence around Tripoli.
The U.S. urges “immediate de-escalation in order to sustain recent Libyan gains toward stability and elections,” the American Embassy said.
The oil-rich country has been divided since 2014 between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by various well-armed militias and foreign governments.
It has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
