Clashes broke out Sunday between armed groups in a western Libyan city, trapping residents in their homes and causing fires in the country’s second largest oil refinery, officials said.
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The fighting in the coastal city of Zawiya, about 47 kilometres (about 30 miles) west of capital Tripoli, pitted gunmen loyal to the Shurafaa tribe against warlord Mohamed Kushalf, according to local media. Kushalf was sanctioned by the UN Security Council in 2018 for his alleged involvement in human trafficking.
It wasn’t immediately clear what triggered the clashes but they are not uncommon in western Libya, which is controlled by an array of lawless militias and armed groups allied with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government.
Oil-rich Libya has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west. It plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, which toppled and later killed long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Amid the chaos, militias grew in wealth and power, particularly in Tripoli and the western part of the country.
The fighting on Sunday closed a major coastal road linking Zawiya to other cities in western Libya, and classes were suspended.
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“Many families are trapped in their homes. Bullets are being fired indiscriminately, hitting houses and buildings,” resident Ahmed Abu Hussein said by phone. He said the fighting occurred in multiple areas across the city, including densely populated quarters, causing panic and terror among civilians.