Cairo -
About 100 000 people have fled the fighting in the Warshefana area, near the Libyan capital Tripoli, during the last three weeks alone, according to the United Nations.
The total number of displaced people across Libya, whose internal conflicts have worsened in recent months, is now estimated at 287 000, Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, said Friday.
Warshefana has seen fierce fighting between Islamist-leaning militias and a local brigade, with the Islamists reportedly gaining control of the area.
Fears of nationwide civil strife have been growing in Libya as the country's plethora of militias line up behind either the Islamists, who have installed a sympathetic government in Tripoli, or the internationally recognised government, which is based in the eastern port town of Tobruk.
According to Edwards, another 15 000 people are thought to have been displaced around the eastern city of Benghazi, where hardline Islamists have captured most of the city from army units loyal to Tobruk-aligned retired general Khalifa Haftar. - Sapa-dpa