Clashes between rival groups left at least 23 people dead and around 90 injured on Saturday in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The deadliest clashes in two years raise fears of an escalation of armed violence in the country.
The figures are preliminary, according to the Libyan Ministry of Health, which said at least 17 civilians were among the dead.
The country is going through a scenario of political chaos. The crisis has intensified with power stalemates that have persisted for months and put two groups on a collision course. The first is based in Tripoli and is led by the current prime minister, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah. The second is headed by Fathi Bashagha, a former Interior Minister and supported by Parliament.
Parliament has said that Dbeibah’s term has expired and nominated Bashagha to take over. The current prime minister, in turn, claims that congressmen do not have the right to replace him and that he will leave the post only after an election.
Witnesses reported that a convoy of more than 300 vehicles, with Bashagha supporters, departed the town of Zlitan, about 150 km east of the capital. The group would aim to overthrow Dbeibah from power.
The clashes erupted on Friday night (26), with shootings and explosions, and continued throughout Saturday. The fighters carried light weapons and machine guns, and mortars were installed in the central areas of Tripoli.
Clashes were also recorded in Janzur, a satellite city of the capital that has been identified as a possible access point for some forces aligned with Bashagha. Video released on social media also shows what supporters of the former minister would be advancing through the Abu Salim district, south of the capital.
The Ministry of Health reported that several hospitals and care centers were hit in the fighting. The United Nations mission in Libya called for an immediate halt to the fighting and expressed concern about bombings in civilian districts.
Libya has been experiencing instability since the uprising backed by NATO, the western military alliance, in 2011, which led to the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in the same year, in the wake of the Arab Spring.
The action sparked disputes between rival militias for power. The riots have severely reduced oil production, the nation’s main wealth, and created safe havens for extremists, including the Islamic State group.
Years later, in 2019, government and opponents accepted a humanitarian truce proposed by the United Nations. In 2020, a ceasefire was formalized, and Dbeibah committed to overseeing national elections that were scheduled for December last year, but were canceled two days before the election after political deadlocks.
Parliamentarians have since said that the Dbeibah government ended on December 24, when the electoral dispute should have taken place.
Bashagha considers the Dbeibah government to be illegitimate and, since being named leader by parliament in February, has tried unsuccessfully to enter Tripoli. He recently threatened to resort to force to achieve this.
According to the Government of National Unity, the fighting began after a series of negotiations failed, which Bashagha reportedly abandoned at the last moment. The former minister denied that such talks took place and accused the Dbeibah administration of “clinging to power”.
Emadeddin Badi, an analyst at the Atlantic Council think tank, warned that violence could escalate rapidly. “Urban warfare has its own logic. It is harmful both to the civilian infrastructure and to the people. So even if it is not long, it will be very destructive,” he told AFP.
For the expert, the fight can strengthen rebel leader Khalifa Haftar, a strong man from eastern Libya and accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a military dictatorship, as well as people close to him. “They will benefit from divisions in western Libya and have a better negotiating position when the dust settles.”
