Gunmen kill seven in Libyan refugee camp: hospital staff

Residents of the camp, black Libyans originally from the town of Tawergha, say they are being persecuted over accusations they collaborated with Gaddafi during the country's revolution. Many say they are also regularly mistaken for sub-Saharan African mercenaries who revolutionary fighters said fought for Gaddafi in the war, according to Reuters.

The attackers came to the gate of the makeshift settlement in a disused naval academy in Janzour saying they wanted to arrest young men, and opened fire as people gathered to protest, said residents.

Gaddafi's forces used Tawergha as a base to besiege and shell the coastal city of Misrata during last year's civil war. Its residents say they were held hostage by Gaddafi's men and did not collaborate.

Hospital staff said five people were killed and two injured in the violence. Officials from Misrata military council denied involvement. "There is no way Misratans were involved," Fathi Bashaga, a member of Misrata military council.

Human Rights Watch has said Misrata rebels have looted and destroyed homes in Tawergha as well as the neighboring farming villages of Kararim and Tomina, and revenge attacks against the refugees and arbitrary arrests continue.