40 dead in ethnic clashes in south Libya

BENGHAZI<

At east 40 people have been killed in a week
of ethnic clashes in southern Libya between
rival gunmen from the Toubou and Tuareg
 minorities ,a local official said,

The latest fighting central on the oasis city
of Sabha ,the largest in the Libyan Sahara,
the official said ,
Hundreds of  families have been displaced
he added,
There have been repeated deadly clashes
between the two ethnic groups since February.

The Toubou ,who mainly live in the southeast
straddling the border with neighbouring  Chad
were heavily  discriminated against under
dictator Moamer Kaddhafi and fought in the
2011 uprising that overthrew him.

The Tuareg,who mainly live in the southwest
straddling the borders with Algeria and Niger,
largely  backed the Kadhafi regime.

The chaos that has followed the uprising has
seen mounting competition for scant resources
in the desert south,with Tuareg,Toubou and
Arabs all setting up rival militia,

Deadly fighting with Arabs in Sabha in 2012
prompted Toubou claims of ethnic cleansing
 ,Tensions have worsened since the establish-
ment of rival governments in the capital Tripoli
 and the easthern town of Tobruk last year,

The  Tripoli authorities have armed the Taureg
while the Toubou have backed the internationally
recognised government in the east.

The Tobruk government issued a statement on
Tuesday appealing  to the warring  sides sides
ti "stop fighting and resolve their differences
through dialogue"
AFP