By Tom Little.
Tripoli, 15 December:
Members of the Eastern region’s Elders Committee met today to discuss reconciliation between Tiji and Kabaw, after . . .[restrict]fighting between inhabitants of the two villages last month.
Delegates met in Tiji to discuss the cause of the clashes, and worked with representatives from both villages to seek a definitive solution to put an end to the tensions.
This comes after efforts by the Western Region’s Elders’ and Consultative Committee to diffuse the violence in the area, which succeeded in putting a stop to the clashes and bringing both sides to the negotiating table.
Fighters from Tiji and Kabaw in the Nafusa Mountains began in November, leaving several people wounded and at least one dead.
It is believed the fighting started after a militia based in Kabaw tried to take weapons and ammunition from a military base in Tiji, but were prevented from doing so by guards.
The confrontation quickly escalated, and several Kabaw militiamen were wounded in the fighting before they retreated.
However, they returned the next day with reinforcements and heavy weapons, and were accused of shelling the village of Tiji in retaliation, wounding several locals.
While there has been a temporary let up in the fighting, Tiji and Kabaw have yet to come to a final agreement [/restrict]
