The UN-backed Government of National Unity said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page that the clashes “were sparked by a military group randomly firing on a convoy passing through the area of Zawia Street, while armed groups were gathering at Gate 27 west of Tripoli and the Jebs Gate south of Tripoli”. The country’s interim prime minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, head of the GNU, is based in Tripoli in western Libya. The parliament building in Tobruk in the east of the country is the seat of a rival government led by Prime Minister Fathi Basaga. Bashagha tries to enter and take over Tripoli, as he claims that the GNU is illegal and must step aside. The GNU, however, refused and claimed that power should be handed over peacefully through elections and not through violence. According to the Libyan LANA News Agency, the official news agency of the internationally recognized government, the municipality of Tripoli holds both the UN-recognized Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army responsible for the worsening situation in the capital. “The municipality of Tripoli holds the Parliament, the Supreme Council of State, the Presidential Council and the two governments responsible for the worsening security situation in the capital Tripoli and demands the international community to protect civilians,” LANA said. US Ambassador to Libya Richard B. Norland urged the importance of “avoiding violent conflict in Tripoli,” according to a tweet from the US Embassy in Libya. Norland said he and Presidential Council chairman Menfi discussed on Friday the need for de-escalation, the embassy said on Twitter on Saturday. “We agreed on the urgent need to finalize a constitutional basis and move towards elections, as well as the importance of taking steps to enhance transparency and accountability in the management of Libyan oil revenues,” the tweet added. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya tweeted on Saturday that the United Nations in Libya is “deeply concerned about the ongoing armed conflict, including indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling of civilian neighborhoods in Tripoli, reportedly causing civilian casualties and damage to urban facilities, including hospitals.” “The UN calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reminds all parties of their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian objects,” the tweet added.
