Bloodshed, Airport Chaos After Libyan Groups Break Ceasefire

Eleven people were killed and almost three dozens others sustained injuries during clashes following a breakdown of a United Nations-negotiated ceasefire between allies of the Libyan government and a rival group.

RELATED: 
Libyan Factions Agree to Dec. 10 Elections at Paris Talks

Thursday’s flare-up of violence claimed the lives of at least eight civilians, bringing the total of deaths resulting from fights between opposing armed groups - since August 26 - to 96 and wounded to over 450, the health ministry told Xinhua Friday.   

Despite pleas from the UN Support Mission in Libya, the clashes between the groups continue, some in the form of attacks on civilian sites which is in direct violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement and International Humanitarian Law.

DPA news agency, citing a resident, reported that many families were virtually pinned inside their homes due to the heavy gunfire. The ceasefire agreement has now been breached three times, according to an Al Jazeera report.

 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) describes the situation in the north African country as being "desperate" and Libyans as “increasingly vulnerable."

"Seven years of war in Libya has driven over 500,000 people to flee their homes," the ICRC posted in a tweet. "For Libyans trying to return home, there's not always much to return to. Houses, schools are often destroyed completely."

The fighting for territorial control also resulted in rockets being launched, some 200 kilometers away, at Tripoli’s main air hub. Flights have been rerouted to Misrata, where thousands of people have flocked to on a daily basis.

Migrants from other regions in Africa - on their way to Europe - waited for UN flights to return to their home countries.