By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli/Tunis, 22 November 2016:
Fighting in Sebha between the Alwad Sulaiman and Qaddadfa tribes which continued into its sixth day today appears to have been brought to an end. Fighting stopped late this afternoon, according to the city’s mayor Hamed Rafeh, following mediation by elders and notables from across Libya. An agreement by the two sides would be signed tomorrow, Wednesday, he told the Libya Herald.
“We hope that all the fighting be over and people will open shops and offices”, he said.
He put the number of dead in the clashes in the mid 20s. Of those injured, which included 15 women and children, 26 had been airlifted for urgent medical treatment to Tripoli and Misrata, he said.
The fighting between the long standing rivals was triggered when a monkey belonging a Qaddadfa shopkeeper supposedly annoyed girls from the Awlad Sulaiman, which then resulted in gunmen from the later killing both the monkey and its owner.
The peace agreement has rendered obsolete a decision on Monday by the House of Representatives (HoR) to set up a committee to mediate between the two tribes and end the fighting. However, of potentially equally importance, the HoR also created another committee to investigate the wider problems in the city. These will include the current crime wave, policing and the security, as well as Sebha’s healthcare crisis and environmental issues, notably a collapse of the sewerage system.
