Tripoli: Mediators in Libya have managed to end clashes between armed groups near Libya's capital Tripoli, a source from the divided country's internationally-recognised government told AFP on Saturday.
The fighting, which rescuers say has killed nine people and injured dozens of others, broke out on Friday and resumed briefly on Saturday in Tajoura, a town located about 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of Tripoli.
"The fighting stopped thanks to an agreement and mediation led by other armed groups," said the source from the Tripoli-based government's interior ministry.
Libya is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
It is divided between the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah and a rival administration in the country's east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Although relative calm has returned to the oil-rich North African country in recent years, clashes still periodically break out between its myriad armed groups.
A military force, under the authority of the chief of staff and the defence ministry, intervened to stop the fighting in Tajoura, according to the source.
Under the agreement, fighters from the battling armed groups withdrew from the area, allowing a neutral third group to intervene.
Tripoli's ambulance services on Saturday said it evacuated 72 families from the combat zone.
The University of Tripoli, located not far from the area, on Saturday said it would be suspending classes as a "preventative measure".
The Tripoli-based government has not publicly commented on the clashes.
