Killing of 70 shakes Libya

TRIPOLI - Agence France-Presse

Three days of tribal clashes in southern Libya, the killing more than 70 people in the southern Libyan town of Sabha and the kidnapping of an official from the interim government, have resulted in new resignations from the Libyan Governing Council.

Libyan government spokesman Nasser al-Manaa said on March 28 that “more than 150 have been wounded” since March 26 in Sabha. The clashes erupted after a man from the Tabu tribe allegedly killed a member of the Abu Seif tribe.

“There are still clashes but not as intense,” in Sabha, said Abdelmajid Seif al-Nasser, a town official who quit his post on March 27 from the ruling National Transitional Council in protest at the violence. In Benghazi, Rifaat Abu Dabbous, an official responsible for Libyan fighters being treated abroad, was also kidnapped.

The kidnapping prompted the resignation of another ministry official, Ashraf Bin-Ismail, who said “everything is out of control … We can’t handle it.”