Football Match Dispute in Tarhunah Leads to Clashes, Injuries and Security Deployment

Clashes broke out in the western Libyan town of Tarhunah after a football match on Thursday, leaving several people injured and prompting the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity to deploy the 444th Combat Brigade. Tarhunah lies some 80 kilometres south of Tripoli.

The match pitted Tripoli's Al-Ittihad SCSC against Misrata's Asswehly SC in a title play-off for Libya's top football division and was held behind closed doors.

The contest was suspended shortly before the final whistle after Al-Ittihad's players protested over a penalty kick they believed should have been awarded, Libyan news agency LANA reported. Fights then occurred between supporters and security forces outside the stadium.

Players and journalists covering the match were among those hurt, and several vehicles including a Libyan sports channel's broadcast van were burned. The Government of National Unity sent the 444th Combat Brigade to contain the situation. The brigade claimed one of its members had been killed by gunfire and confirmed its units fired live rounds at protesters, according to Arabic-language media reports.

The soldier's death was not confirmed by the authorities or independent news outlets, Euronews reported. The same brigade has denied any involvement in the February killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, though it was reportedly linked to the incident. In Tripoli, people targeted the council of ministers' headquarters with acts of sabotage and arson, the Libyan Presidential Council said.

Several offices inside the government compound in Tripoli were set on fire, local media reported, and a government building was set on fire in the capital. The violence in Tripoli is the most serious civil disturbance in the Libyan capital in several months, Euronews reported.

Earlier in May, armed clashes in the western city of Zawiya, which is controlled by the Tripoli government, killed nine people and injured 23 others.