Deadly clashes hit Libyan capital, Tripoli
In Tripoli, Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters are struggling to disband armed militias that have formed from the rebel movement that ousted now dead Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Five people are dead following a heavy gun and artillery battle between two former rebel factions in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
AP reports:
Former rebels of Tripoli and a separate group of fighters from the city of Misrata fought with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns.
The armed clashes kicked-off after the Tripoli fighters arrested one of the Misrata rebels on New Year’s Eve, AP says.
Fractured rebel militias now flush with weapons are posing a serious threat to efforts to restore a central authority in the war-torn North African nation following the toppling of former Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
The fresh clashes come as Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) announced a new draft law for elections on Monday.
Under the new law, Libyans linked with Gaddafi and his regime will be barred from political life, according to Reuters.
Just 10 percent of the 200-seat assembly would be reserved for women, drawing sharp condemnation from a Libyan rights group who says Libyan women make up more than 50 percent of the population, reports AFP.