Fighting over Libya’s capital Tripoli has displaced 18,000: UN agency

Libyan National Army under the leadership of Khalifa Haftar launched an attack on Tripoli against the UN-backed government forces, above, in the beginning of April. (AFP/File)

• UN official says 13 civilians died in the clashes in Tripoli
• The organization also reports that almost 3,00 migrants are stuck in detention areas

CAIRO: The UN migration agency says recent clashes between rival Libyan militias for control of Tripoli have displaced more than 18,000 people.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday in New York that the International Organization for Migration reported that 13 civilians are among the 146 killed so far in clashes since the self-styled Libyan National Army launched a major military offensive on April 5.
Dujarric says around 3,000 migrants remain trapped in detention centers in and close to conflict areas.
The fighting pits the Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Haftar against militias affiliated with Tripoli’s UN-backed government.
The clashes threaten to re-ignite civil war such as the 2011 one that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Libya is split between rival governments in the east and west.