Fighting erupted in central Tripoli on Tuesday, leaving five dead and several more injured as the Libyan government struggles to reel in armed gangs left after months of civil war.
The clashes took place between two groups of former rebels who fought against soldiers loyal to Moammar Gadhafi during the civil war earlier this year, reported The Associated Press. They fired machine guns at each other and even used anti-aircraft guns.
“I am not optimistic, because blood has been spilled,” Mohammed al-Gressa, a military council member, told The Associated Press. “I feel this looks like a civil war.”
Another militia member, Massud al-Khadar, said that violence began after another militia from Misrata attacked his comrades in Tripoli this morning, reported AFP.
Former rebels and other militia groups have sporadically fought among one another since October, when Moammar Gadhafi’s regime was finally toppled after months of fighting. The new interim government has acknowledged that disarming these groups will be one of the greatest challenges.
A spokesperson with the Libyan government downplayed the clashes.
“These skirmishes take place because of individual animosities but have nothing to do with the revolution or the revolutionaries,” Ashur Shamis told AP. “The real and original revolutionaries are not part of it.”
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