Libya announces state of emergency in Tripoli

BENGHAZI, Libya – Libya’s U.N.-backed government has announced a state of emergency in the capital and its outskirts as ongoing fighting has killed some 39 people including civilians in the past days.

The fighting erupted last week between armed groups from Tripoli against others from a town to the south vying for power in Libya’s capital. The Health Ministry said the fighting has also wounded 96 others.

Sunday’s statement by the government urged rival militias to stop the fighting and abide a U.N.-brokered ceasefire.

Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The country is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the east, each backed by an array of militias that wield real power on the ground.