New clashes leave two dead in Libya

The casualties came after rival armed groups fired rockets and heavy machine guns around the town of Gharyan, about 80km south of the capital, Tripoli. The interim government had been trying to broker a ceasefire but failed.

The clashes raise fresh security concerns with the war-torn North African country still emerging from a bloody conflict.

A militia group from the town of Gharyan clashed with a rival armed group from the nearby town of Assabia, an official in Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib's office said. He said there was no immediate information on casualties, but added that the two militias had been fighting since Friday.

In the hills surrounding Gharyan there were scenes rarely seen in Libya since the capture and killing of Col Muammar Gaddafi nearly three months ago. Revolutionary forces were again in position, their anti-aircraft guns mounted on the backs of pickup trucks pointing west towards the town of Assabia.

The fighting started on Friday and continued sporadically throughout the weekend. On Saturday, Libyan Defence Minister Osama al-Juweili travelled to the town to try to broker a ceasefire. However the deal did not hold.

On Sunday, a delegation of tribal elders arrived in Gharyan in an attempt to mediate in the dispute and to negotiate a prisoner exchange. But the stand-off continues, and the situation remains tense.

Libya's interim government is pressing the country's various armed groups to hand in their weapons, giving them the option of joining a national army. But so far it has met with only partial success.