Nine killed in Benghazi clashes

In the News | 25-11-2013
Fighting between the Libyan army and Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sharia has killed nine people and injured 49, according to state news agency LANA.

The violence is said to have erupted after an armed man was stopped at a checkpoint controlled by Ansar al-Sharia, and was allegedly beaten by the group.
 
Clashes took place in the early hours of the morning on 25 November, in the districts of Majouri, Baraka, Laithy and Garyounis, but was concentrated most in the Ras Obaida area, said to be a stronghold of Ansar al-Sharia.
 
LANA says that army personnel are currently present at most entry points into Benghazi, with the army urging residents to stay at home.
 
The interim government says it has held a number of sessions today to discuss the situation in Benghazi, saying the events show the need to implement Decision 53 of 2013, which stipulates that all armed groups must vacate their positions and allow the army and police to take over.
 
The General National Congress (GNC) also held an emergency meeting to discuss the events, saying it was in contact with Thunderbolt Brigade commander Wanees Bokhamadah, who said on 25 November that the situation in Benghazi was now "stable".
 
The violence follows clashes involving militias in the capital Tripoli last week, which claimed the lives of 43 people.
 
Following the bloodshed, a three-day strike took place in the city amid large protests demanding the withdrawal of all armed groups from the capital.
 
A number of militias are thought to have left the capital to make way for government forces, but it remains to be seen if militias based in Benghazi will leave the city, where the central government's control is more tenuous.
 
The Ansar al-Sharia group sprang up during the 2011 conflict, and advocates the strict implementation of Islamic law in Libya.
 
It is thought to be a loose collection of like-minded militias, and is suspected of being behind the attack on an American diplomatic mission in Benghazi in 2012, which killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Written by: Libya Monitor