By Jamal Adel.
Tripoli, 7 May 2014:
Twelve militiamen said to have been involved in communal clashes in Sebha have been released by . . .[restrict]their Tebu captors following negotiations to ease tensions between the two groups.
The twelve were released on Sunday after intervention by members of Misrata Local Council according toAdem Ahmed Dazi, head of the area council in Sebha’s mainly Tebu district of Al-Qahira.
Misratan forces entered Sebha in late January after tribal and ethic tensions boiled over, destabilising the surrounding region and allowing Qaddafi supporters to gain a foothold at nearby Taminhent airbase.
Dazi, claimed that those who had been released had fought alongside Awlad Suleiman and attacked Tebu neighbourhoods. However, he added, the deal was part of “a long-term plan to restore peace in the town and eventually negotiate the withdrawal of all military forces from the area”.
A month ago, all factions involved in the conflict in Sebha accepted a reconciliation agreement which allowed the neutral Misratan forces to take control of the town’s military barracks and airport.
Sporadic gunfire can be heard infrequently in the town but it appears that the tribes are committed to ending the violence. [/restrict]
