90 killed, 200 injured in communal clashes in Libya's Murzug

The clashes in Murzuq escalated following numerous consecutive precision airstrikes hit the area on August 4. The fighting also continued during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, disregarding the truce brokered by the United Nations.

New York: At least 90 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded in communal clashes in the Libyan town of Murzug, said The United Nations on Thursday.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that at least 90 civilians were killed and more than 200 injured as a result of the violent clashes which escalated early this month in Murzuq, southern Libya, including the airstrike that targeted the area on 4 August," the statement said Thursday.

The statement said that the clashes in Murzuq escalated following numerous consecutive precision airstrikes hit the area on August 4. The fighting also continued during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, disregarding the truce brokered by the United Nations.

Some 6,426 people and around 270 migrants from West Africa have been internally displaced since the intensification of violence, the statement added.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners provide emergency assistance to people in the area which continue to experience electricity outage and limited telecommunication means.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising.

The oil-rich country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and the Tripoli-based GNA, which enjoys UN recognition.