BENGHAZI: Fighting between rival armed groups in the southern Libyan city of Sabha has left at least six civilians dead and wounded others, including women and children, a medical official said on Wednesday.
Sporadic clashes between the Sixth Division, which is attached to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), and rival fighters from the Tebu ethnic group, started around Feb. 4, said Osama Al-Wafi, a spokesman at Sabha’s main hospital.
The LNA is aligned with a rival government based in Libya’s east.
Sabha, about 660 km south of Tripoli, has been a hub for the smuggling of African migrants and other contraband toward Libya’s Mediterranean coast. It has seen occasional bouts of fighting linked to the wider conflict that developed after the country’s 2011 uprising.
The Sixth Division is largely composed of fighters from the Awlad Suleiman tribe. It is loyal to LNA leader Khalifa Haftar.
One civilian was killed on Wednesday and at least four people were wounded, including two fighters and a child, said Wafi. The hospital had also been hit by shelling though this had not caused casualties, he said.
Earlier, at least five civilians had been killed and nine wounded, including women and children, Wafi said.
Civilians killed as groups clash in Libyan south
Civilians killed as groups clash in Libyan south
