Scores dead in Benghazi, Tripoli clashes

At least 59 people have been killed in clashes between Libyan special forces and rival militias on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

In the first attack in Benghazi, fighting between Libyan Special Forces and Islamist fighters left at least 36 people dead, medical and security sources said.

The victims are mostly civilians.

Another 23 people, all Egyptian workers, were killed in the capital Tripoli when a rocket hit their home during clashes between militias from Misrata and Zintan battling over the city’s main airport.

Since the civil war in Libya in 2011 that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been unable to form a stable government. Violence has increased in recent weeks, prompting the US, the UN and Turkey to pull their diplomatic staff out of Libya.

The streets of Tripoli have grown chaotic. Clashes between armed militias have killed and wounded dozens in the last few weeks. Militias, paid by the government, have been battling to control the city's airport.