Clashes in Tripoli between rival forces endanger civilians and Libyans need to do everything to keep the country stable says UN’s Libya mission
Military vehicles mounted with heavy weapons belonging to pro-PM Dbeibah Constitution Protection Force are pictured in Tripoli, Libya, May 17, 2022.
The latest fighting comes as Libya is once again divided between competing governments — one of which is based in Tripoli — despite more than a year of tentative steps towards unification.In Saturday's statement, the mission said the clashes endangered civilians and called on Libyans “to do everything possible to preserve the country’s fragile stability at this sensitive time.”
The Mediterranean nation has been in a state of upheaval since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.The country’s plan to transition to an elected government fell through after an interim administration based in Tripoli, headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, failed to hold elections last year.
Dbeibah, in a televised phone call, urged a powerful commander who leads the 444 brigade — which serves his government — to do what is necessary to restore peace in Tripoli.