A Libyan militia leader wanted by the International Criminal Court, ICC, for alleged war crimes, on Wednesday was shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi.
One source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the militia leader Mahmoud al-Werfalli, shot dead with his cousin, Ayman, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car.
Another security source said that the pair was seriously wounded, before being pronounced dead on arrival at Benghazi Medical Centre, located near the scene of the shooting.
The ICC issued a first arrest warrant for Werfalli who was a member of forces loyal to eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar, in August 2017, charging him with seven separate rounds of executions of 33 people in 2016 and 2017.
In July 2018, the ICC issued a second arrest warrant for Werfalli for his alleged responsibility for murder as a war crime.Then ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the UN Security Council in November 2019 that Werfalli was enjoying “his liberty in the Benghazi area.
Libya has been caught up in chaos and continuous conflict in the decade since, pitting a Tripoli-based government against an administration in the east loyal to Haftar.
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