On Sunday, Libyan security forces were deployed in Al-Zawiya after clashes left three people dead including two civilians, according to local media reports.
“We have deployed on the instructions of the supreme military authorities to the combat zones, and succeeded thanks to mediation efforts by tribal leaders and city elders to halt the fighting,” General Akram Douwa said in a press interview.
Rival factions in Al-Zawiya, west of the capital Tripoli, have been fighting on and off for weeks.
Local medics reported two civilians and one militiaman were killed in clashes overnight into Friday, adding that another two civilians were wounded.
Following one violent bout in Al-Zawiya in April, residents who have been caught in the crossfire took to the streets to protest.
The North African country, which is awash with weapons, has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
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.
Libya ranked fourth in the Arab world, and twenty in the world, among the countries with the highest levels of organized crime, according to the report of the Global Initiative to Combat Crime (GLOBAL INITIATIVE).
In its latest report on Libya, the foundation based its indicators on several factors, most notably human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, crimes related to animal and plant life, human smuggling, and arms trade.
According to the report, Libya ranked last in the world in terms of the degree of resilience against organized crime. This reflects the inability of the state to confront the scourge of crime.
