Agenzia Fides

Tripoli (Agenzia Fides) – There is growing tensions in different parts of Libya as a result of attacks and clashes between militias. In Misratha, a bomb hit the local headquarters of the International Red Cross, injuring a bystander. On 11 June a convoy carrying the British Ambassador to Libya was hit by rockets in Benghazi, the capital of Cyrenaica (east). Only a few days earlier a bomb had exploded near the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. In this regard, His Exc. Mgr. Sylvester Carmel Magro, Apostolic Vicar of Benghazi, told Fides that "the city's population wants peace and tranquility, after many deaths due to war last year. Apparently everything seems normal, shops are open, people go to work but deep down inside there is stress. The foreign community is undoubtedly shaken by the recent events."
Even in Tripoli, local sources reported to Fides, calm seems to prevail during the day, but at night gunfire is often heard. The presence of various armed militias can lead to fights like those erupted in the region of Mezda (south-west of Tripoli) between members of the tribe of Machachia and those of the tribe of Gontrar and the town of Zenten. In this town 4 members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are held who arrived in Libya to meet Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, held by local militias. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 13/6/2012)