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Tensions Flare in Southern Libya After Teenager Killed in Shooting Blamed on LNA

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Tensions and clashes erupted in the southern Libyan city of al-Qatrun after 16-year-old Hussein Matar was killed in a shooting at a petrol station.
  • Residents blamed the Libyan National Army’s 87th Battalion, but accounts differed and the army issued no official statement.
  • The Fezzan National Political Gathering called for an urgent investigation, justice for the perpetrators and an end to retaliatory measures.

The killing of 16-year-old Hussein Matar at a petrol station has pushed al-Qatrun, in southern Libya, into a new wave of tension. Residents accused the Libyan National Army’s 87th Battalion of responsibility, although accounts differed over who opened fire.

bear the full consequences of this crime

· Fezzan National Political GatheringThe political grouping called on the 87th Battalion to accept responsibility for the killing.

Skirmishes and running clashes broke out between residents and members of the battalion on Thursday evening. Shots were fired indiscriminately, and several members of the Tebu tribe were seen carrying weapons.

The Fezzan National Political Gathering moved quickly to hold the perpetrators responsible and urged the 87th Battalion to “bear the full consequences of this crime”. Rania al-Sayd, a founding member of the gathering, said the incident “cannot be viewed as an isolated event or an individual dispute”.

cannot be viewed as an isolated event or an individual dispute

· Rania al-SaydAl-Sayd said the shooting reflected a broader threat to stability in southern Libya.

Al-Sayd described the shooting as “a direct attack on the social fabric and the fragile stability we are trying to preserve in the south”, warning that it was intended “to drag the region back into chaos and cycles of revenge”. She called on security and judicial authorities to arrest those responsible and bring them to justice.

a direct attack on the social fabric and the fragile stability we are trying to preserve in the south

· Rania al-SaydShe described the incident’s significance for the region.

A delegation from Fezzan’s Supreme Council of Sheikhs and Dignitaries arrived in al-Qatrun to offer condolences, assess the situation and try to contain the unrest. The Fezzan Gathering demanded an urgent, transparent investigative committee and public disclosure of its findings. It also called for an end to “any retaliatory measures or collective punishment against the people of al-Qatrun” and urged the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to open an independent international investigation. The Libyan National Army did not officially comment, though a source close to its General Command said its leadership valued al-Qatrun’s residents and was working to address their living difficulties.

any retaliatory measures or collective punishment against the people of al-Qatrun

· Fezzan National Political GatheringThe grouping warned against further violence against residents.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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