The Tripoli government’s health ministry gave a preliminary death toll of 12, with 87 wounded, but did not specify how many were civilians or fighters. Continued fighting in the city for control of the government would likely plunge Libya back into full-scale war after two years of comparative peace that brought a failed political process aimed at holding national elections. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register A months-long power struggle in Libya has pitted the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) under Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah against a rival administration under Fathi Bashagha backed by the eastern parliament. Clashes erupted overnight as one of Tripoli’s main groups attacked a base held by another, witnesses there said, resulting in hours of gunfire and explosions. Fighting intensified later on Saturday morning, with small arms fire, heavy machine guns and mortars deployed in various central areas. Columns of black smoke rose over the Tripoli skyline and gunfire and explosions echoed through the air. Heavy fighting later broke out in Janzour, on the coastal road west of Tripoli and a potential access point for some forces aligned with Bashagha, people working in the area said. Meanwhile, an eyewitness said a convoy of more than 300 vehicles linked to Basaga had started from Zlitan, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Tripoli along the coastal road. Bashagha has been based for weeks in Misrata, near Zlitan. To the south of Tripoli, video circulating on social media, which Reuters was unable to verify, purported to show forces of another Basaga-aligned commander entering the Abu Salim area. Witnesses near Abu Salim said there was heavy gunfire in the area. The GNU Health Ministry said several hospitals and health centers were hit in the fighting. The United Nations mission in Libya called for an immediate end to the fighting and expressed concern over the shelling of civilian areas.
MILITANT
“This is horrible. My family and I could not sleep because of the clashes. The sound was very loud and very scary,” said Abdulmenam Salem, a resident of central Tripoli “We stayed awake in case we had to leave quickly. terrible feeling ». Smoke rises into the sky after clashes in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed read more Major armed factions that support each side in Libya’s civil conflict have repeatedly mobilized around Tripoli in recent weeks, with convoys of military vehicles moving around the city and threatening the force to achieve their goals. Images and videos shared online from the city center, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed military vehicles speeding through the streets, militants firing and local residents trying to put out fires. Ali, a 23-year-old student who declined to give his last name, said he fled his apartment with his family overnight after bullets hit their building. “We couldn’t stay any longer and survive,” he added.
DEADLOCK
Libya has had little peace since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, and it split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, drawing in regional powers. Libya’s oil production, a major prize for the warring groups, has been repeatedly disrupted during the years of chaos. A 2019 offensive by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, backed by the eastern parliament, collapsed in 2020, leading to a ceasefire and a UN-backed peace process. The truce included the establishment of Dbeibah’s GNU to govern all of Libya and oversee national elections that were scheduled for last December but were abandoned amid disputes over the vote. Parliament said Dbeibah’s term had expired and appointed Bashagha to take over. Dbeiba said parliament had no right to replace him and that he would only step down after elections. Bashaga attempted to enter Tripoli in May, leading to a firefight and his departure from the city. Since then, however, a series of deals have seen some armed factions reshuffled into the main coalitions facing off around Tripoli. Haftar remains closely allied with the eastern parliament, and after his 2019-20 offensive, some groups in Tripoli remain deeply opposed to any coalition in which he plays a role. A GNU statement said the latest clashes in Tripoli were sparked by Basaga-aligned fighters firing on a convoy in the capital, while other pro-Basaga units had gathered outside the city. He accused Bashaga of walking out of talks to resolve the crisis. Bashaga’s administration said in a statement that it had never rejected talks and that its own proposals had been rejected by Dbeiba. He did not immediately respond to the claim that he was linked to the clashes. Both Dbeibah and Bashagha tried to appeal to international opinion by promising to maintain peace and accusing each other of using violence in the pursuit of power. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Ahmed Elumami Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfali and Hani Amara Writing by Angus McDowall Editing by Pravin Char and Frances Kerry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
