Libyan army chief of staff Youssef al-Mangoush resigns

PanARMENIAN.Net - Libyan army chief of staff Youssef al-Mangoush has reportedly resigned after 30 people died in clashes between protesters and a militia in Benghazi.

The General National Congress accepted his resignation in a session on Sunday, June 9, sources at the assembly say, according to BBC News.

The clashes erupted when protesters gathered outside the Libya Shield Brigade premises demanding it disband.

The government has struggled to tackle the presence of armed militias since Col Gaddafi's death in 2011.

Mangoush, who was due to be replaced soon anyway, was seen as ineffective and to blame for much of the country's problems with the militias.

The army chief submitted his resignation in a closed door session of the GNC, a member of congress told the BBC.

It comes as part of a wider decree, according to the same source, which also includes the appointment of a judge to investigate and break up the militias, as well as declare three days of mourning.

Mangoush's deputy, Salem al-Gnaidy, will stand in as acting army chief until a new one is chosen.