Clashes kill 2 in Libya's Benghazi

TRIPOLI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed on Sunday in clashes in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi between the army and security personnel of the interior ministry both loyal to the eastern-based authorities, a military source said.

"Clashes broke out between the army's 21 battalion and the criminal investigation force of the interior ministry in Benghazi," the source told Xinhua later on Sunday.

"The clashes involved light and medium weapons and lasted for hours, killing a captain of the battalion and a civilian who was at the site of clashes. Calm returned to the area after the joint security chamber of Benghazi interfered and stopped the fighting," the source added.

"There are some security elements of the interior ministry involved in criminal cases. We have repeatedly asked to hand them over for prosecution and to clarify their position officially on the charges against them," the source said, when asked about the reasons for the clashes.

Clashes between the army and police are rare in Benghazi, as the two sides are considered regular forces of the eastern-based authorities.

The North African country has suffered unrest in the past seven years after its former leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by an uprising in 2011.

It is currently run by two rival administrations, one in the capital Tripoli and the other in the northeastern city of Tobruk.

In December 2015, the two rival factions sighed a UN-backed deal to form a unity government, which, however, has not put an end to the political division in the country. Enditem