The Tripoli court found them guilty of joining the group and killing 53 people.

A Libyan court sentenced 17 former Islamic State (IS) members to death on Monday on charges of joining the group and killing 53 people.

The Tripoli-based top prosecutor issued a statement saying that these 17 former members were convicted of the death of 53 people and the destruction of public property while attacking “the state and social peace,” The Associated Press reported. The statement added that another 16 militants were given lesser sentences, two with life in prison.

Details about when the sentences will be carried out are still unknown.

The North African nation has been divided between two competing administrations for years, one based in the east and the other in the west, each supported by different foreign powers. The division resulted from the NATO-backed revolt that brought down Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The chaos that ensued left a power vacuum that was filled by different groups and a tangible power struggle.

The chaos helped IS seize various areas and establish administrative pockets across the country but without gaining supremacy due to the presence of armed militia forces scattered everywhere.

A UN report revealed that the Libyan armed conflict displaced hundreds of thousands of Libyans. A report by the International Organization for Migration said that “by June 2022, a total of 688,121 individuals previously displaced were reported to have returned to their places of origin in 56 municipalities that had been previously affected by armed conflict or insecurity.”