Renewed militia clashes in western Libya killed 10-year-old girl

A new round of infighting between rival militias in western Libya has killed a 10-year-old girl, health authorities said on Monday, the latest bout of violence to rock the North African nation mired in decadelong chaos.

The fighting broke out on Sunday between the militias in the western town of Zawiya, where armed groups — like in many other towns and cities in oil-rich Libya — are competing for influence.

Along with the child who was killed, at least eight other civilians were wounded in the clashes that continued overnight, the Health Ministry’s emergency services said.

The fighting trapped dozens of families living in the area for hours, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the emergency services. Local media reported that one militia fired at a member of its rivals, wounding a militiaman who was taken to hospital.

The violence was the latest between militias in western Libya. In August, clashes in the capital of Tripoli killed more than 30 people, one of the deadliest bouts of fighting in Libya in many months.

Libya was plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Libya is now split between two rival administrations. One is that of the government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli who refused to step down after Libya failed to hold elections last year. A second administration is led by Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha who operates from the eastern city of Benghazi after failed efforts to install his government in the capital.