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Libya’s parliamentary-appointed government, backed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, announced that it was pulling out of the capital Tripoli. Tripoli is the seat of the rival executive branch. The fight between the two rival groups lasted for several hours only. It was reported that Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha and several of his ministers had left Tripoli to preserve the safety of citizens.
Libya’s parliamentary-appointed government, backed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, announced that it was pulling out of the capital Tripoli. Tripoli is the seat of the rival executive branch. The fight between the two rival groups lasted for several hours only. It was reported that Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha and several of his ministers had left Tripoli to preserve the safety of citizens.
In the Tripoli area, both sides have the support of armed groups. The government based in Tripoli, which was created in early 2020, the result of a U.N.-sponsored political process, has not reacted to the events of the past few hours. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, called on Twitter for restraint from both groups.
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It is difficult to ascertain what is happening in Tripoli now. Bashagha addressed a virtual press conference in which he said he was well-received in Tripoli. The Interior Minister of the Bachagha government, Issam Abu Zariba, had assured, before the withdrawal, that the government team would take office “peacefully” and in accordance with the law.
In February, the parliament sitting in the east appointed Bashagha, a former interior minister, as the new Prime Minister. He is supported by the powerful Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya, whose forces had tried to conquer the capital in 2019. Bashagha had so far failed to oust the incumbent executive in Tripoli, led by businessman Abdelhamid Dbeibah. Dbeibah has repeatedly stated that he would only hand over power to a government formed after elections. Abdelhamid Dbeibah’s government’s main task is to hold the legislative and presidential election, which was initially scheduled for last December.
