BENGHAZI, Libya
Over 28,000 families have been displaced from the war-weary city of Benghazi since fighting erupted there last October between forces loyal to Libya's Tobruk government and armed militias, a local NGO said Tuesday.
The Media Center for Benghazi Residents said in a statement issued Tuesday that it had registered 28,062 families who had fled the eastern city since the fighting broke out.
The organization did not specify whether all the families in question had been displaced internally or if some had since sought refuge abroad.
For nearly seven months, forces loyal to Libya's internationally-recognized House of Representatives – based in the eastern city of Tobruk – have been clashing with Islamist militias in several Libyan cities, including Benghazi.
Since the ouster and death of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi in late 2011, rival militias have often locked horns, frequently bringing violence to Libya's main cities, including capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi.
The sharp divisions have yielded two rival seats of government, each of which has its own institutions.
Two assemblies currently vie for legislative authority: the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, and the General National Congress, which – even though its mandate ended last year – continues to convene in capital Tripoli.
The two parliaments support two rival governments respectively headquartered in the two cities.
