Militiamen yesterday stormed homes in Tarhuna belonging to members of the Nahaj clan reportedly because of their opposition to local Libya Dawn forces.
“The Dawn Libya militias belong to Marghani family which have a longstanding hostility to the Nahaji family. They are now exploiting their position now, by their alliance to Libya Dawn leaders, to get revenge on their rivals,” a local Tarhuna resident told the Libya Herald.
Clashes between the Nahaji and Margahni began five days ago when a member of former was murdered, allegedly by a member of the latter. The dead man’s brothers and cousins responded in the usual manner and the fighting then quickly escalated from a family feud into a politically-driven battle with both sides and their allies using heavy weapons.
Ironically, the Marghani, like many others in Tarhouna, supported the Qaddafi regime before and during the revolution. They now support Libya Dawn, because, it is claimed, local religious leaders support it. It is also suggested that their allegiance, like so many allegiances in Libya, is based on opposing the side their enemies support. The Nahaji supported the revolution and, since the general election in June, have supported the House of Representatives.
Libya Herald
This article was originally published here.
