Tripoli, Aug 24 (IANS): The Confederation of African Football has announced that Libya is no longer the host of the 2017 African Nations Cup due to security concerns.

"AFCON 2017 was moved out of Libya. CAF invites member associations to apply to organise and host AFCON," Xinhua quoted a CAF announcement as saying Saturday.

Libya was chosen as the host of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017. However, poor security conditions made it impossible for the northern African country to host the tournament.

Libya's government had hoped the hosting of the Nations Cup would allow it to demonstrate that life has gone back to normal and encourage potential investors.

But since the 2011 turmoil, which toppled its former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has witnessed an escalation in violence.

The recent deadly clashes between rival armed factions in major cities, including Tripoli, Benghazi, Gharyan, Zawiya, have raised fears that the conflict could turn into a full-fledged civil war.