CAIRO (AP) — Clashes erupted Tuesday between rival militias in the Libyan capital of Tripoli after the arrival of one of the country’s rival prime ministers in hopes of entrenching his government.
Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha’s office said in a terse statement that he had arrived in Tripoli with a number of ministers from his cabinet – three months after he was appointed to head an interim administration in the troubled country. The statement did not provide further details.
There was no immediate comment from beleaguered Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which is based in Tripoli.
The development is likely to fuel further tensions between Libya’s rival administrations. Local media reported clashes between different militias and rival forces supporting the two sides in central Tripoli and elsewhere in the city.
“We arrived in the capital peacefully and safely. The reception has been excellent,” Bashagha said in video comments, adding that his government was ready to work with all Libyans, including those who oppose him. He made no reference to the clashes.
UN Special Adviser on Libya Stephanie Williams called for calm and appealed to rival sides to refrain from taking part in the clashes.
“Conflicts cannot be resolved through violence, but through dialogue and mediation,” she tweeted, adding that the United Nations stands ready to welcome all parties “to help Libya find a genuine and consensus towards stability and elections”.
Bashagha, a former interior minister, was named prime minister by the country’s east-based parliament in February. But Dbeibah, a wealthy businessman, refused to step down, insisting he would hand over power only to an elected government. Both prime ministers hail from the powerful western city of Misrata.
Over the weekend, rival militias also clashed in Tripoli’s Janzour neighborhood. No casualties were reported, but local authorities said infrastructure was damaged, including a power station.
The UN mission in Libya condemned the clashes and said they involved “indiscriminate firing and the alleged use of heavy weapons” in the densely populated neighborhood.
Lawmakers argued that Dbeibah’s term expired after Libya failed to hold presidential elections in December, as scheduled under a UN-brokered deal.
The failure to hold the vote was a blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya. It opened a new chapter in Libya’s long-running political stalemate, with rival governments vying for power after wavering moves towards unity over the past year.
The oil-rich country has been wracked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. For years, Libya has been divided between rival administrations in the east and to the west, each backed by different militias and foreign governments. .