Tentative calm in Libyan capital after clashes kill 32
Tripoli, Libya (AFP):
Flights resumed and shops re-opened in Libya’s capital Tripoli on Sunday after clashes between backers of rival governments killed at least 32 people and sparked fears of major new conflict.
Armed groups had exchanged fire that damaged several hospitals and set buildings on fire starting overnight Friday into Saturday, the worst fighting in the Libyan capital since a landmark 2020 ceasefire.
A cautious calm had set in by Saturday evening, an AFP correspondent reported, and the health ministry said Sunday morning that 32 people had been killed and 159 wounded during the clashes.
The fighting came after months of mounting tensions between backers of Abdulhamid Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha, whose rival administrations are vying for control of the oil-rich North African country, which has seen more than a decade of violence since a 2011 uprising.
Both sides exchanged blame on Saturday while world powers appealed for calm.
The UN’s Libya mission called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities”, deploring “indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods.”
Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising, with myriad armed groups and foreign powers moving to fill the power vacuum.
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