Four people were killed and others injured in violent clashes that erupted on Sunday between armed groups in Gharyan, southwest of the Libyan capital Tripoli, and led to the closure of entrances to the city, AFP reported.
A security source at the Gharyan Security Directorate told the agency that "clashes broke out suddenly between armed groups inside the city since the early hours of the morning," explaining that these clashes "caused the death of 4 people and a number of injuries."
The agency also quoted a medical source at Gharyan General Hospital, counting 4 dead and more than 10 wounded as a result of the clashes. The same source added, "Due to the clashes, which are still continuing but intermittently, the entrances and exits of Gharyan were closed, fearing that pedestrians and those moving to and from the mountainous city, which is located 100 kilometers southwest of the Libyan capital, would be injured.
On the other hand, Anadolu Agency quoted the director of Gharyan Hospital, Khaled Zuweit, that "the clashes have so far left two dead and two superficial injuries."
He added, "The hospital administration is in direct contact with the undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in the Government of National Unity, and the emergency committee at the ministry, to refer reports on the health situation, and any other needs that the hospital may request in the event of continued armed confrontations."
Libya has been witnessing chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, and two governments are vying for power, the first controlling the west of the country based in Tripoli, headed by Abdul Hamid Dabaiba, and formed after a political dialogue in early 2021, and the other controlling the east of the country, headed by Osama Hammad, which is mandated by the House of Representatives, and supported by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.