Relative calm in Tripoli as efforts to end violence fail

Relative calm prevailed in the northern city of Tripoli Sunday following five days of fierce clashes that left at least 16 people dead, as efforts to permanently end the violence seemed to reach a dead end. Civil society groups held a sit-in outside the headquarters of the Tripoli Municipality, calling for the disarmament of the city and voicing frustration at the repeated outbreaks of fighting. The head of Tripoli Municipality, Nader Ghazal, said there was an immediate need to disarm all groups in north Lebanon, saying “the people are fed up.” A total of 120 people have been wounded since clashes erupted Monday between fighters from the Sunni dominant Bab al-Tabbaneh who mainly oppose President Bashar Assad and their rivals in the mainly-Alawite district of Jabal Mohsen, staunch supporters of Assad. Despite a cease-fire agreed to earlier this week between figures of both neighborhoods, fighting intensified Friday following the death by sniper fire of anti-Assad Salafist Sheikh Khaled Baradie, leaving two killed and 21 wounded including a foreign journalist. The cease-fire agreement also called on the Lebanese Army to heavily deploy and restore order and security in the city. Soldiers were seen Sunday patrolling the front line of the rival areas and responding to sporadic sniper fire. In a bid to end the violence, which has left the city almost completely deserted, with most shops closed and residents confining themselves to their homes, two meetings were held Saturday in Bab al-Tabbaneh at MP Mohammad Kabbara’s home in the presence of security officials. However, the talks resulted in no tangible results. (daily star)