Rights group: 50 detained in east Libya after prison escape

CAIRO (AP) — A leading rights group says Libya’s east-based army rounded up at least 50 people in a coastal city following a prison escape earlier this year. Human Rights Watch says the armed group affiliated with the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces launched the crackdown after five prisoners escaped from a prison in the city of Derna on Jan. 16. A spokesman for the LAAF was not immediately available for comment. The LAAF, led by powerful commander Khalifa Hifter, controls Libya’s east and much of the south. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi.