Libya's General National Congress declared a state of emergency in the country on Saturday, an official said, after fresh clashes erupted in the south when gunmen group seized a military base.
The GNC, Libya's highest political authority, made the decision during an "extraordinary session" about the situation in the southern town of Sebha, where tribal clashes have been raging for several days, the official said.
Fighting flared up again on Saturday when gunmen took control of a military base near Sebha, after several days of relative quiet, the government said.
But in the evening, defense ministry spokesperson Abderrazak al-Shebahi said the army had recaptured the Tamenhant base.
He said the army was tracking the attackers after they fled into the desert.
Government warplanes also launched raids "against certain targets", he added.
The spokesperson also said the group was made up of supporters of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, who was ousted and killed by NATO-backed rebels in October 2011.
"We know them and we are going to track where they are going," he said.
Local sources also said that the group that took over the base was made up of supporters of the ousted regime, to take advantage of the fraught security in the area.
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