Hassan Al-Warfalli (Benghazi)
Yesterday, the Libyan Red Crescent in the city of Zawiya, west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, called for a temporary truce to evacuate those trapped after violent clashes in the city. The city of Zawiya witnessed clashes between armed groups, which caused the suspension of classes and the closure of parts of the roads leading to the city.
An officer in the Zawiya Security Directorate said, “Since the day before yesterday, the southern areas of the city of Zawiya have witnessed clashes between armed groups,” noting that they have continued since the morning, but intermittently.
He added, “The clashes caused the closure of some roads, and the suspension of studies in Al-Zawiya until further notice, due to the random exchange of shells between the gunmen.”
Regarding the causes of the tension, the officer said, “Disagreements between members of armed groups developed into skirmishes, and mediation efforts have not yet succeeded in stopping the clashes.”
Activists circulated video clips on social media, showing gunmen aboard four-wheel drive vehicles firing extensively at opposing armed groups.
The clips also showed columns of smoke rising from several residential buildings and government buildings, as a result of being exposed to random projectiles and a violent exchange of bullets and shells in various parts of the city. In a statement, the Red Crescent called on the security authorities to cooperate in helping those stranded in conflict areas.
In turn, the Ministry of Health of the Libyan government said that it is working to carry out evacuations in areas of clashes and transfer injured cases to hospitals.
The Ambulance and Emergency Service announced that one person was killed and 6 others were injured as a result of the clashes in Al-Zawiya.
The Ambulance and Emergency Service stated that the city of Zawiya is witnessing a state of cautious calm, with intermittent clashes taking place in the “Abu Sora” area, south of the city.
The security services in the city found 5 bodies, including a woman, with signs of gunfire inside a car near the post office building, but the causes of the incident are not yet clear.
The clashes came after popular demonstrations broke out during the past hours in the city of Al-Zawiya in front of the Security Directorate, in protest against the deteriorating security situation and to denounce the growing phenomenon of killing, the weakness of the official security services, and the absence of any role for the executive authority in confronting the armed outlaw militias and their control over all facilities.
The coastal city of Zawiya is located 40 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli, and has a population of more than 300,000 people. It is connected by a highway to Tripoli and the Ras Jedir border crossing with Tunisia.
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