BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Libyan capital, authorities said Sunday, as recent fighting between rival militias that has killed dozens compelled the U.N.-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.

The inmates overwhelmed guards and forced open the gates of the Ain Zara prison after riots broke out there, police said in a statement posted on Facebook. The prisoners included many supporters of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi who had been found guilty of killings during the 2011 uprising that ended his rule and plunged the country into chaos.

The fighting in Tripoli erupted last week when the Seventh Brigade, militias which hail from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighborhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade, militias which support the U.N.-backed government, have come to the city's defense.

At least 47 people, including civilians, have since been killed, and another 130 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said.

The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Maria Ribeiro, said the fighting has forced families to flee their homes and she voiced concern for the safety of internally displaced people, refugees and migrants in Tripoli.

Yusuf Jlala, the minister of state for displaced affairs, said the fighting has displaced more than 1,800 families in the Ain Zara neighborhood since the clashes began on Aug. 27. Many have taken shelter in schools or with relatives, while others have left the city, he told The Associated Press on Monday.

Some families, he said, refused to leave city fearing that their properties would be looted. Most of those families are in need of food and drinking water, he said.

At least 1000 families are expected to be displaced from the Abu Salim district in the coming days if the fighting escalates, he warned. He said his ministry has received more than 2000 distress calls from residents in the capital over the past two days because of indiscriminate shelling.

Jlala said relief teams and paramedics have been attacked and ambulances looted amid the chaos in the city.

Residents also described scenes of chaos.

"It is not safe to stay at home due to the shelling, and it is not safe to go outside as militias and criminals are wandering around the area, looting whatever they can get their hands on," said Salem Taleb, a 33-year-old resident of Ain Zara.

The government declared a state of emergency in and around Tripoli, saying the fighting is "an attempt to derail peaceful political transition" in the country. The government said it "could not remain silent over the attacks on Tripoli and its suburbs, which is a violation of security in the capital and of citizens' safety."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence in and around Tripoli and called on all sides to abide by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The UN mission in Libya called on "the various concerned parties" to meet on Tuesday for an "urgent dialogue on the security situation" in Tripoli. It said a venue for the meeting will be announced later.

Libya is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which are backed by an array of militias. Other armed groups have carved out fiefdoms across the country, with many profiting from smuggling and extortion.

Elsewhere in Libya, a rocket fell on a camp for people displaced from the town of Tawergha, killing two and wounding 15 others, according to the municipal council.

A powerful militia from the nearby city of Misrata drove Tawergha's residents from their homes during the uprising, accusing them of siding with Gadhafi's forces, which had used the town as a staging ground for attacks on the city. Many have been living in makeshift camps since then.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Libyan capital, authorities said Sunday, as recent fighting between rival militias that has killed dozens compelled the U.N.-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.

The inmates overwhelmed guards and forced open the gates of the Ain Zara prison after riots broke out there, police said in a statement posted on Facebook. The prisoners included many supporters of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi who had been found guilty of killings during the 2011 uprising that ended his rule and plunged the country into chaos.

The fighting in Tripoli erupted last week when the Seventh Brigade, militias which hail from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighborhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade, militias which support the U.N.-backed government, have come to the city's defense.

At least 47 people, including civilians, have since been killed, and another 130 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said.

The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Maria Ribeiro, said the fighting has forced families to flee their homes and she voiced concern for the safety of internally displaced people, refugees and migrants in Tripoli.

Yusuf Jlala, the minister of state for displaced affairs, said the fighting has displaced more than 1,800 families in the Ain Zara neighborhood since the clashes began on Aug. 27. Many have taken shelter in schools or with relatives, while others have left the city, he told The Associated Press on Monday.

Some families, he said, refused to leave city fearing that their properties would be looted. Most of those families are in need of food and drinking water, he said.

At least 1000 families are expected to be displaced from the Abu Salim district in the coming days if the fighting escalates, he warned. He said his ministry has received more than 2000 distress calls from residents in the capital over the past two days because of indiscriminate shelling.

Jlala said relief teams and paramedics have been attacked and ambulances looted amid the chaos in the city.

Residents also described scenes of chaos.

"It is not safe to stay at home due to the shelling, and it is not safe to go outside as militias and criminals are wandering around the area, looting whatever they can get their hands on," said Salem Taleb, a 33-year-old resident of Ain Zara.

The government declared a state of emergency in and around Tripoli, saying the fighting is "an attempt to derail peaceful political transition" in the country. The government said it "could not remain silent over the attacks on Tripoli and its suburbs, which is a violation of security in the capital and of citizens' safety."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence in and around Tripoli and called on all sides to abide by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The UN mission in Libya called on "the various concerned parties" to meet on Tuesday for an "urgent dialogue on the security situation" in Tripoli. It said a venue for the meeting will be announced later.

Libya is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which are backed by an array of militias. Other armed groups have carved out fiefdoms across the country, with many profiting from smuggling and extortion.

Elsewhere in Libya, a rocket fell on a camp for people displaced from the town of Tawergha, killing two and wounding 15 others, according to the municipal council.

A powerful militia from the nearby city of Misrata drove Tawergha's residents from their homes during the uprising, accusing them of siding with Gadhafi's forces, which had used the town as a staging ground for attacks on the city. Many have been living in makeshift camps since then.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Libyan capital, authorities said Sunday, as fighting between rival militias that has killed dozens of people forced the U.N.-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.

The inmates overwhelmed guards and forced open the doors of the Ain Zara prison after riots broke out there, police said in a statement posted on Facebook. The prisoners included many supporters of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi who had been found guilty of killings during the 2011 uprising that ended his rule and plunged the country into chaos.

The fighting in Tripoli erupted last week when the Seventh Brigade, militias which hail from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighborhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade, militias which support the U.N.-backed government, have come to the city's defense.

At least 47 people, including civilians, have been killed, and another 130 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said.

The government declared a state of emergency in and around Tripoli, saying the fighting is "an attempt to derail peaceful political transition" in the country. The government said it "could not remain silent over the attacks on Tripoli and its suburbs, which is a violation of security in the capital and of citizens' safety."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence in and around Tripoli and called on all sides to abide by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.

Libya is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which are backed by an array of militias. Other armed groups have carved out fiefdoms across the country, many profiting from smuggling and extortion.

Elsewhere in Libya, a rocket fell on a camp for people displaced from the town of Tawergha, killing two people and wounding 15 others, according to the municipal council.

A powerful militia from the nearby city of Misrata drove Tawergha's residents from their homes during the uprising, accusing them of siding with Gadhafi's forces, which had used the town as a staging ground for attacks on the city. Many have been living in makeshift camps since then.</s>Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in Libya's capital on Sunday as fighting between rival armed groups raged nearby, a judiciary official said.

The inmates forced open the doors of the Ain Zara prison and guards were unable to stop them, the official said, confirming a judiciary police statement posted on social media. He asked not to get identified and could not provide more details.

The prison is located in southern Tripoli, an area hit for one week by heavy fighting between rival groups. Separately, a missile fell on Sunday on the al-Fallah camp for displaced Tawergha people, killing two and wounding seven, including two children, said Emad Ergeha, an activist following Tawergha issues.

The Tawergha were forced to leave their settlement near the western city of Misrata in the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and have been prevented from going back since.

Ergeha, who is a Tawergha, also posted online a video of firefighters extinguishing a blaze and showing severe damage to steel-made containers in the camp.

A rocket also hit the Waddan hotel in central Tripoli near the Italian Embassy on Saturday.

Three people were injured, staff said. State oil firm NOC confirmed one of its diesel depots used to supply a power station had been hit by a rocket on Saturday.

Fierce clashes erupted last week between the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, from Tarhouna, a town 65 km (40 miles) southeast of Tripoli, against the Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades (TRB) and the Nawasi, two of the capital's largest armed groups.

The U.N.-backed government based in Tripoli declared a state of emergency in the capital "given the seriousness of the current situation."

Although the government is formally in charge, it does not control the capital where armed groups are allied to it but operate with autonomy, often motivated by money and power.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya — Libya’s police say some 400 prisoners have escaped from a jail in the capital amid fighting between rival militias.

Police said in a statement posted on Facebook late Sunday that the inmates forced open the doors of the Ain Zara prison, south of Tripoli, and that guards were unable to stop them.

The fighting erupted last week between armed groups from Tripoli and rivals from a town to the south. The Health Ministry says at least 47 people, including civilians, have been killed, and another 130 have been wounded.

The U.N.-backed government has announced a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.

Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, and today is largely ruled by a patchwork of local militias.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in Libya‘s capital on Sunday while fighting between rival armed groups raged nearby, a judiciary official said as the United Nations called for the warring parties to meet on Tuesday.

The inmates forced open the doors of the Ain Zara prison and guards were unable to stop them, the official said, confirming a judiciary police statement posted on social media.

He asked not to get identified and could not provide more details.

The prison is located in southern Tripoli, an area hit for one week by heavy fighting between rival groups.

Separately, a missile fell on Sunday on the al-Fallah camp for displaced Tawergha people, killing two and wounding seven, including two children, said Emad Ergeha, an activist following Tawergha issues.

The Tawergha were forced to leave their settlement near the western city of Misrata in the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and have been prevented from going back since.

Ergeha, who is a Tawergha, also posted online a video of firefighters extinguishing a blaze and showing severe damage to steel-made containers in the camp.

A rocket also hit the Waddan hotel in central Tripoli near the Italian Embassy on Saturday. Three people were injured, staff said.

WATCH: Massive prison break caught on camera in Brazil as 40 inmates escape

State oil firm NOC confirmed one of its diesel depots used to supply a power station had been hit by a rocket on Saturday.

Fierce clashes erupted last week between the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, from Tarhouna, a town 65 km (40 miles) southeast of Tripoli, against the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigades (TRB) and the Nawasi, two of the capital’s largest armed groups.

The U.N.-backed government based in Tripoli declared a state of emergency in the capital “given the seriousness of the current situation.”

Although the government is formally in charge, it does not control the capital where armed groups are allied to it but operate with autonomy, often motivated by money and power.

To end the fighting the U.N. mission in Libya called on the “various concerned parties” to meet on Tuesday noon for an “urgent dialogue on the security situation.” (</s>TRIPOLI: Some 400 detainees escaped after a riot on Sunday (Sep 2) at a prison in the southern suburbs of the Libyan capital Tripoli, theatre of a week of deadly battles, police said.

"The detainees were able to force open the doors and leave" as fighting between rival militias raged near the prison of Ain Zara, police said in a statement, without specifying what crimes the escapees had committed.

Guards were unable to prevent the prisoners escaping as they feared for their own lives, the statement said.

A police official contacted by AFP was unable to provide further details.

Most detainees at the prison have been convicted of common crimes or were supporters of former dictator Muammar Gadaffi, found guilty of killings during the uprising that toppled his regime in 2011

According to a health ministry toll, at least 39 people have been killed and some 100 injured since clashes, including rocket fire, broke out among rival militias Monday in suburbs south of Tripoli.

And on Sunday rockets hit a camp for displaced people in Tripoli, leaving at least two dead and five injured from the same family, according to emergency services and witnesses.

The camp is home to hundreds of displaced people from the Libyan city of Taourga who were forced into mass exile due to their support for Gadaffi.

"Most of the families have left the camp fearing more rockets," Khaled Omrane, a camp resident, told AFP.

According to emergency services, at least 23 rockets fell on the capital on Friday and Saturday causing fresh casualties.

The Government of National Unity (GNA) which is recognised by the international community on Sunday said it was declaring a state of emergency in the Libyan capital and its environs.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since Gadaffi's fall and killing.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Libyan capital, authorities said Sunday, as recent fighting between rival militias that has killed dozens compelled the U.N.-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.

The inmates overwhelmed guards and forced open the gates of the Ain Zara prison after riots broke out there, police said in a statement posted on Facebook. The prisoners included many supporters of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi who had been found guilty of killings during the 2011 uprising that ended his rule and plunged the country into chaos.

The fighting in Tripoli erupted last week when the Seventh Brigade, militias which hail from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighborhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade, militias which support the U.N.-backed government, have come to the city's defense.

At least 47 people, including civilians, have since been killed, and another 130 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said.

The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Maria Ribeiro, said the fighting has forced families to flee their homes and she voiced concern for the safety of internally displaced people, refugees and migrants in Tripoli.

Yusuf Jlala, the minister of state for displaced affairs, said the fighting has displaced more than 1,800 families in the Ain Zara neighborhood since the clashes began on Aug. 27. Many have taken shelter in schools or with relatives, while others have left the city, he told The Associated Press on Monday.

Some families, he said, refused to leave city fearing that their properties would be looted. Most of those families are in need of food and drinking water, he said.

At least 1000 families are expected to be displaced from the Abu Salim district in the coming days if the fighting escalates, he warned. He said his ministry has received more than 2000 distress calls from residents in the capital over the past two days because of indiscriminate shelling.

Jlala said relief teams and paramedics have been attacked and ambulances looted amid the chaos in the city.

Residents also described scenes of chaos.

"It is not safe to stay at home due to the shelling, and it is not safe to go outside as militias and criminals are wandering around the area, looting whatever they can get their hands on," said Salem Taleb, a 33-year-old resident of Ain Zara.

The government declared a state of emergency in and around Tripoli, saying the fighting is "an attempt to derail peaceful political transition" in the country. The government said it "could not remain silent over the attacks on Tripoli and its suburbs, which is a violation of security in the capital and of citizens' safety."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence in and around Tripoli and called on all sides to abide by a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The UN mission in Libya called on "the various concerned parties" to meet on Tuesday for an "urgent dialogue on the security situation" in Tripoli. It said a venue for the meeting will be announced later.

Libya is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which are backed by an array of militias. Other armed groups have carved out fiefdoms across the country, with many profiting from smuggling and extortion.

Elsewhere in Libya, a rocket fell on a camp for people displaced from the town of Tawergha, killing two and wounding 15 others, according to the municipal council.

A powerful militia from the nearby city of Misrata drove Tawergha's residents from their homes during the uprising, accusing them of siding with Gadhafi's forces, which had used the town as a staging ground for attacks on the city. Many have been living in makeshift camps since then.</s>Libyan police say guards were unable to prevent the prisoners escaping as they feared for their own lives

TRIPOLI, Libya – Some 400 detainees escaped after a riot on Sunday, September 2, at a prison in the southern suburbs of the Libyan capital Tripoli, theater of a week of deadly battles, police said.

"The detainees were able to force open the doors and leave" as fighting between rival militias raged near the prison of Ain Zara, police said in a statement, without specifying what crimes the escapees had committed.

Guards were unable to prevent the prisoners escaping as they feared for their own lives, the statement said.

A police official contacted by AFP was unable to provide further details.

Most detainees at the prison have been convicted of common crimes or were supporters of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi, found guilty of killings during the uprising that toppled his regime in 2011

According to a health ministry toll, at least 39 people have been killed and some 100 injured since clashes, including rocket fire, broke out among rival militias Monday in suburbs south of Tripoli.

And on Sunday rockets hit a camp for displaced people in Tripoli, leaving at least two dead and 5 injured from the same family, according to emergency services and witnesses.

The camp is home to hundreds of displaced people from the Libyan city of Taourga who were forced into mass exile due to their support for Kadhafi.

"Most of the families have left the camp fearing more rockets," Khaled Omrane, a camp resident, told AFP.

According to emergency services, at least 23 rockets fell on the capital on Friday, August 31, and Saturday causing fresh casualties.

The Government of National Unity (GNA) which is recognized by the international community on Sunday said it was declaring a state of emergency in the Libyan capital and its environs.

The Libyan capital has been at the center of a battle for influence between armed groups since Kadhafi's fall and killing. – Rappler.com</s>Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in Libya‘s capital on Sunday while fighting between rival armed groups raged nearby, a judiciary official said as the United Nations called for the warring parties to meet on Tuesday.

The inmates forced open the doors of the Ain Zara prison and guards were unable to stop them, the official said, confirming a judiciary police statement posted on social media.

He asked not to get identified and could not provide more details.

The prison is located in southern Tripoli, an area hit for one week by heavy fighting between rival groups.

Separately, a missile fell on Sunday on the al-Fallah camp for displaced Tawergha people, killing two and wounding seven, including two children, said Emad Ergeha, an activist following Tawergha issues.

The Tawergha were forced to leave their settlement near the western city of Misrata in the Nato-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and have been prevented from going back since.

Ergeha, who is a Tawergha, also posted online a video of firefighters extinguishing a blaze and showing severe damage to steel-made containers in the camp.

A rocket also hit the Waddan hotel in central Tripoli near the Italian Embassy on Saturday. Three people were injured, staff said.

State oil firm NOC confirmed one of its diesel depots used to supply a power station had been hit by a rocket on Saturday.

Fierce clashes erupted last week between the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, from Tarhouna, a town 65 km (40 miles) southeast of Tripoli, against the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigades (TRB) and the Nawasi, two of the capital’s largest armed groups.

The UN-backed government based in Tripoli declared a state of emergency in the capital “given the seriousness of the current situation.”

Although the government is formally in charge, it does not control the capital where armed groups are allied to it but operate with autonomy, often motivated by money and power.

To end the fighting the UN mission in Libya called on the “various concerned parties” to meet on Tuesday noon for an “urgent dialogue on the security situation.”
Around 400 prisoners, mostly supporters of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, escape from a detention facility in Ain Zara, near Tripoli, amid fighting between rival militia groups.