Clashes between local paramilitary units erupted in the Libyan capital Tripoli the night before, with thousands of city residents unable to get out of the fighting zone, the Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday.
According to AP, the 444th Brigade of the Metropolitan Military District, which reports to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and the Special Deterrence Force, a special operations unit of the military police, were involved in the fighting. The conflict occurred after some reports said that the commander of the 444th Brigade was detained at Tripoli airport the previous day.
For its part, Libya’s Health Ministry has called on the conflict to allow ambulances and emergency services into the city’s most violence-hit neighborhoods, especially in the south.
However, the number of possible victims is still unclear, notes AP.
There are reports that a significant number of airplanes left Tripoli airport the day before. Arriving flights are being diverted to Misrata.
The agency recalls that the current outburst of violence was preceded by several months of relative calm in the country.
For a long time, Libya has had two bodies of executive power in parallel: the UN-backed PNA in Tripoli, in the west of the country, and the interim cabinet in the east of the country, which was supported by the army of Khalifa Haftar. According to Western media, Haftar was aided by Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt. The government in Tripoli, in turn, was sided by Turkey, Qatar, and Italy.
In October 2021 in Geneva, representatives of the warring parties signed a permanent ceasefire agreement. Presidential elections in Libya, the first since the overthrow and assassination of Muammar Gaddafi, were scheduled for December 24, 2021, but in the end the vote did not take place. This was due to disagreements over electoral laws, which have not been overcome to date.
In early July, Haftar threatened that if the Libyan authorities do not create conditions for a fair distribution of oil revenues by the fall, otherwise the Libyan National Army (LNA) may retaliate.
