By Libya Herald staff.
Benghazi, 2 October 2014:
Normality returned to Sebha today after members of the Awlad Suleiman and Qaddadfa tribes agreed overnight a . . .[restrict]new ceasefire to allow Eid to be celebrated in peace in the south town.
“It is very good today,” a local reporter told the Libya Herald. “There is no more bombing. It has stopped.” Instead, he said, “the shops are open and there are many cars on the streets. People are shopping for Eid and there is fuel in the [petrol] stations.”
Banks, pharmacies, and cafes were also open, with banks crowded with customers withdrawing cash for Eid. Animal markets were doing brisk business as locals bought their sheep for Eid.
The ceasefire was agreed, according to Libyan new agency LANA, following mediation by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence in the Southern Region, Taher Ashbian, and local elders and tribal leaders. According to the local reporter, however, the peace is thanks to Misratan troops from the Third Force stationed in the town. They moved into the Manshiya district and enforced it, he said.
Both the Awlad Suleiman and Qaddadfa have reportedly agreed not to engage in any fighting for 20 days and that after Eid there will be further talks as part of the national dialogue efforts to make the truce permanent.
According to the National Committee for Human Rights in Libya, the four days of indiscriminate heavy shelling resulted in over 15 people killed, including two children. Dozens had been injured it said, confirming reports that homes had been targeted while ordinary civilians were still inside. In addition to the dead and wounded, many people had been left homeless as a result.
This amounted to gross violations of human rights the committee said, and it called on the House of Representatives and the government to ensure that those responsible were brought to justice. It had gathered detailed information on the incidents and wanted them to be submitted to the International Criminal Court. [/restrict]
