Libyan congress accepts chief of staff's resignation after Benghazi clashes

Libya's General National Congress ( GNC) accepted on Sunday a resignation offered by Chief of Staff, Yousef al-Mangoush, after clashes erupted a day earlier in Benghazi, killing at least 28 people, a lawmaker said. The Libyan parliament accepted the resignation after the second vice president of the GNC read out the text of the resignation during evening session of the congress, the lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity told Xinhua. He added that al-Mangoush offered his resignation to the congress on the backdrop of clashes that broke out on Saturday in the city of Benghazi. On Saturday, protesters clashed with pro-government militiamen in Benghazi , leaving at least 28 killed and 60 wounded. Due to lack of professional military and police forces, Libyan authorities often rely on pro-government militia to maintain security and social order since the unrest that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. However, many citizens do not favor such practices and sometimes clash with the militiamen.