By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 17 July 2014.
Former Derna Congresswomen Fariha Al-Berkawi was assassinated today. “She was shot by gunmen while she . . .[restrict]was in her car,” a reliable source in the town told the Libya Herald. It had happened about midday in the town’s Shiha district, he said. Another source said that she was at a petrol station when she was shot.
Her murder was confirmed by fellow Derna Congress member Mansour Al-Hassadi, from the Justice and Construction Party. “She was killed by unknown gunmen,” he said, condemning the assassination and calling those involved “terrorists”.
Militant Islamists are thought to be responsible.
Berkawi was a member of the National Forces Alliance and had been a member of the Congressional Budget Committee. She resigned on 3 February over the issue of Congress’ mandate supposedly expiring that month.
She had been a popular member of Congress. At the time of her resignation, Zawia Congressman Ahmed Tawfiq Yaqoub paid tribute to her saying she was “a wonderful person and has been an active Congress member” and that members regretted her decision to quit.
Meanwhile the spate of kidnappings in the town continues. Last night a local man, Mohammed Al-Jazwi, was kidnapped at about 10 pm in the Shari’ Al-Baher district. However, Air Force Colonel Mohamed Al-Manfi who worked at Matouba airbase in Tobruk and abducted in Derna at the beginning of the month, was released today after a ransom of LD 150,000 was supposedly paid to his abductors. It is said that he was not harmed during the course of his ordeal but is now said to be in shock. His family are claiming that his abductors are members of Al-Qaeda. [/restrict]
