BY: News Peddlers
Clashes between supporters of Libya's rival governments killed at least 32 people, according to a new toll released by the health ministry on Sunday, following a battle that sparked fears of a major new conflict.
Starting Friday evening, armed groups exchanged fire, damaging several hospitals and setting buildings on fire, in the worst fighting in Libya's capital since a landmark ceasefire in 2020.
An AFP correspondent reported that by Saturday evening, a cautious calm had settled in.
The clashes came after months of tensions between supporters of Abdulhamid Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha, whose rival administrations are vying for control of the North African country, which has been wracked by violence since a 2011 uprising.
Dbeibah's administration has so far prevented Bashagha from taking office in the capital as part of a United Nations-led peace process following the end of the last major battle in 2020, arguing that the next administration should be the result of elections.
Bashagha was appointed by Libya's eastern-based parliament earlier this year and is backed by powerful eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar, whose 2019 attempt to seize the capital by force turned into a year-long civil war.
Bashagha, a former interior minister, initially ruled out using violence to seize power in Tripoli, but has since hinted that he may resort to force.
Libya descended into chaos after the overthrow and assassination of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a Western-backed uprising in 2011, with a slew of armed groups and foreign powers vying for power.
Certain armed groups perceived to be neutral in the latest crisis backed Dbeibah this weekend in order to thwart Bashagha's second attempt to enter the capital.
Both sides exchanged blame on Saturday while world powers appealed for calm.
The UN’s Libya mission called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities”, citing “ongoing armed clashes including indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighbourhoods”.
Dbeibah posted a video on Saturday evening of himself surrounded by bodyguards and greeting fighters who support his administration.
According to Dbeibah's Government of National Unity, fighting erupted after talks to avoid bloodshed in the western city fell through.
Bashagha denied holding such talks and accused Dbeibah's "illegitimate" administration of "clinging to power."
Later Saturday, local media reported that a group of pro-Bashagha militias on their way to the capital from Misrata turned back.
Libya's shifting alliances, according to analyst Wolfram Lacher, are "a never-ending story."
"Armed groups that were on the same side in yesterday's Tripoli fighting will clash tomorrow over turf, positions, and budgets," he wrote.
"The factions that supported Dbeibah yesterday will oppose him tomorrow."
(AFP)