A peace accord in 1999 ended the war on paper but fighting continues, especially among militias in the northeast.

Unpredictable armed conflicts among rival militias are prevalent in southern Somalia, particularly in and around Mogadishu.

Syria has had troops in Lebanon since the civil war, which involved fighting among sectarian-based militias and led to 100,000 deaths from the mid-1970's to 1990.

And Libyans growing worried about tensions among militias who refuse to give up their guns.

Somalia remains a patchwork of fiefs divided among armed militias representing the various clans.

Stop stirring up trouble among militias that then go and kill innocent Iraqis.

The Syrian force entered West Beirut Sunday in an effort to halt fighting among Syrian-allied militias.

Syrian troops poured into Beirut today and began taking control of the capital's predominantly Moslem western sector in an effort to restore order among warring militias.

The mayor's brother was killed several months ago in a shooting that was believed to have been linked to infighting among armed militias in the city.

When the warfare among militias increased last November in Mogadishu, about 30,000 people, most of them civilians, were killed.