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Fighting in and around the Libyan capital has displaced thousands of people, the government said on Tuesday as the UN prepared to host talks seeking to halt the violence.
Clashes since August 27 between rival militias in and around Tripoli have killed at least 50 people and wounded 138 others, most of them civilians, the health ministry said in an updated toll.
The fighting has raged mostly in the southern suburbs of the capital, forcing 1 825 families to flee to nearby towns or seek shelter in other districts of Tripoli, the ministry for displaced people’s affairs said. But many more remain trapped inside their homes and some are refusing to leave, fearing their property could be looted, the ministry said.
These families have an urgent need for food and water, the ministry said, adding that rescuers who have tried to assist them have come under attack from unidentified assailants who also stole ambulances. After a lull overnight, fighting resumed on Tuesday morning in Tripoli’s southern suburbs.
It came as the UN mission in Libya invited “all concerned parties” to attend talks later in the day aimed at seeking an end to the violence. — AFP
derick.khumalo