The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday called on Libyan citizens to support their country's legitimate institutions, following the deaths of several people in armed attacks in Benghazi a day earlier.
In a news release issued late on Sunday, UNSMIL urged all Libyans "to rally around their legitimate institutions, both civilian and military, to enable them to carry out their duties of ensuring security and stability."
According to media reports, Libyan special forces clashed with gunmen outside a military base in the country's second largest city during overnights attacks on Saturday, killing six soldiers and injuring at least five others.
Earlier this month, some 20 people were killed and nearly 80 wounded when a militia, also in Benghazi, opened fire on a group of protesters.
UNSMIL condemned the attacks, expressing deep regret for the loss of life, and urged Libyans to "reject violence in all its forms and all acts of retaliation. The Mission reiterates the necessity of resolving disagreements peacefully and through dialogue."
Incidentally, Benghazi was the birthplace of Libya's armed revolt that eventually ousted the autocratic regime of Col. Moammar Qadhafi in August 2011. The city has since witnessed several bomb and gun attacks.
The most notable of the violent incidents in Benghazi was the September 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other American officials were killed. Following Stevens' death, enraged Benghazi residents forced Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist extremist militia blamed for the Consulate attack, to leave the city.
Notably, Libya's first free elections in decades were held in July 2012, following the toppling of the Qadhafi regime. Qadhafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years with an iron fist, was captured and subsequently shot dead on October 20, 2011 by revolutionary fighters on the outskirts of his hometown Sirte.
Despite the latest political developments, most of the country is controlled by militias that fought the Qadhafi regime, despite serious efforts by the current government to bring them under its authority. Their continued presence in Libya even after the civil war has raised concerns about the possible outbreak of further violence in the oil-rich North African nation.
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