The fighting that broke out on the night of Friday to Saturday in Tripoli left at least 12 people dead and 87 others injured, the Libyan Ministry of Health announced.
Six hospitals in Tripoli were targeted in the clashes that have raised fears of a new war in Libya, where the situation is already chaotic, with two rival governments vying for power. The health ministry said earlier that ambulances could not go near the conflict zones, citing “war crimes”.
According to an AFP journalist, the clashes that broke out overnight between rival factions continued until this afternoon and spread to other districts of the city.
Among the victims is actor Mustafa Baraka, who was hit by a stray bullet and killed, Laba news agency reported.
Based on photos and videos posted online, the material damage caused by the riots is extensive: cars were charred and buildings were set on fire or riddled with bullets.
The Tripoli-based government of Abdelhamid Dbeiba has blamed the clashes on supporters of the rival government of Fathi Basaga, who is backed by eastern Libyan strongman Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The Tripoli government accused Bashaga, who is temporarily based in Sirte, of “carrying out his threats” to seize the capital. Bashaga’s press office, for its part, said the “illegitimate” government in Tripoli is trying to “hang on to power”, while denying that any negotiations are underway between them to reach an agreement.
Local media reported that an alliance of fighters supporting Bashaga were heading from Misurata to Tripoli.
Bashaga was appointed prime minister in February by the parliament based in eastern Libya’s Tobruk. Since then he has been trying, unsuccessfully, to enter Tripoli to take power and has recently threatened to resort to violence to succeed. Dbeiba, the head of the transitional government, reiterates that he will not cede power except to an elected government.
The American embassy in Tripoli expressed its strong concern over these developments, while the UN mission in Libya called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” complaining that clashes are taking place “in civilian areas”. Qatar, for its part, called on all sides to “avoid escalation and bloodshed and resolve their differences through dialogue.”
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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