TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Violent clashes between militias erupted on Saturday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, rocked by shootings and explosions.
A source in the Tripoli government’s health ministry said the clashes left 23 people dead, including 17 civilians. The ministry had earlier announced that 87 people had been injured.
The clashes took place in the center of the town after one of the strongest local armed groups stormed a base belonging to a rival militia, witnesses said.
Militias have reinforced their presence in Tripoli in recent weeks in the face of a deadlock in the political situation. Military convoys crisscrossed the outskirts of the Libyan capital, threatening to use force to achieve their objectives. Street fights have already taken place on July 22 in the capital, killing 13 people according to medical sources.
The two competing governments claiming power in Libya – one led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, the other by Fathi Bachagha with the support of the Parliament sitting in the east of the country – have blamed each other for the latest clashes.
Last May, Fathi Bachagha tried in vain to enter Tripoli to regain power from the hands of the rival administration of Abdelhamid Dbeibah. He recently hinted that he might attempt to enter the capital again.
Pro-Dbeibah factions, meanwhile, staged a show of force around Tripoli this week, saying they would not let Fathi Bachagha in.
Turkey, which has a military presence around Tripoli and helped forces in the city repel an assault in 2020, called for an immediate ceasefire and said “we continue to support our Libyan brothers”.
(Ahmed Elumami report, with contributions from Ayman al-Warfali, Hani Amara and Jonathan Spicer, written by Angus McDowall, French version Jean-Stéphane Brosse, Jean-Michel Bélot and Camille Raynaud)
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