On Monday, the Libyan Ambulance and Emergency Service announced the death of four civilians, after an indiscriminate shell hit their house in Al-Zawiya. Armed clashes between rival militias have resumed in the city.
In turn, the Red Crescent reported that it was able to transfer several stranded families from the city, and that “medical teams have been deployed near the sites of the clashes.”
The Zawiya Red Crescent and the Ambulance and Emergency Service appealed to the warring parties to “exercise restraint, prevail over the voice of wisdom, and to stop the clashes until all families trapped in their homes are evacuated.”
Violent armed clashes broke out between armed groups at dawn on Monday. This is against the background of the killing of a member of the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) in the city.
Earlier this month, media sources reported that clashes broke out in the city.
According to press reports, three people were wounded, with one in critical condition, following violent clashes in the Al-Harsha area, west of Al-Zawiya.
Eyewitnesses reported that a militia from Al-Zawiya attacked the Janzour court, in order to break out an inmate. This resulted in clashes with the court guards, and one of the perpetrators being arrested.
The Red Crescent issued warnings to residents to “stay as far away from windows and doors as possible during the clashes, and to avoid going out, given the current conditions the city is going through.”
Safety in Libya’s capital, Tripoli is continuously deteriorating, with threats of kidnapping and murder a daily occurrence for residents.
Over the years, kidnappings, arrests, and assassinations have increased substantially in western Libya. This is evident in the repeated statements of the Ministry of Interior, about the arrest of gangs and individuals involved in the kidnapping and extortion of expatriate workers.