Libya has sent military forces to end clashes between rival tribes over control of territory in the far southeast of Libya, as more people were reported killed in violence.
Clashes broke out late last week in the remote city of Al Kufra and have continued since, highlighting the challenge of policing the sparsely populated desert. Dozens of people have been killed.
Libya's ruling National Transitional Council has struggled to assert its authority across the whole of Libya, as rival regional militias and tribal groups jostle for power and resources following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
Gunmen from the Zwai tribe have been clashing with fighters from the Tibu ethnic group led by Isa Abdel Majid, who they accuse of attacking Al Kufra backed by mercenaries from Chad.
The Tibu, however, said they were the ones to come under attack.
Speaking by telephone on Libyan state television, armed forces chief Yousef al-Mangoush denied there was any foreign presence in the area and urged elders from both sides to meet.
In a text message to Reuters, Adelbari Idriss, a security official from the Zwai tribe, said two people were killed and seven injured in clashes in the city today.
Separately, he said the Zwai had stopped two cars carrying Chadian men.
