Libya's Tripoli divided into sections, each controlled by precise militia: Egyptian security expert

CAIRO – 18 May 2022: Head of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies Khaled Okasha stated in a phone-in Tuesday that Libyan sources had told him that the capital, Tripoli, has been divided into sections so as each is controlled by a specific militia, as reported by Al Watan newspaper.

Okasha explained that such reality incurred the use of arms against Fathi Bashagha, the interim prime minister who was appointed by the Libyan parliament to succeed the incumbent one Abdel Hamid al-Dbeibbah.

Okasha underscored that after Bashagha had entered Tripoli, he left fast so that armed conflict would not restart again. The security expert said that the situation is an embodiment of the depth of the crisis. He pointed out that some desire that the crisis in Libya persists, and that such calamity influences political stability and holding elections in the Arab country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Tuesday Egypt's concern about the developments in Tripoli, reiterating the necessity of maintaining pacification in Libya as well as preserving lives, properties, and resources of the Libyan people.

The ministry urged all Libyan parties to practice self-restraint, and abstain from taking any steps that would foment violence. Egypt also underscored the inevitability of a dialogue that is aimed at holding presidential and parliamentary elections contemporarily and without delay. 

In that framework, the ministry asserted the salience of the ongoing constitutional pathway taking place in Cairo, and that fulfills the aspirations of the Libyan people towards the future in a steady pace.

Early on Tuesday, Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed interim prime minister by the Libyan parliament headquartered in Tobruk, along with other members of his government arrived in Tripoli to begin leading the country. Yet, tensions arose among the different militias so he withdrew to prevent any human losses.

The Libyan House of Representatives announced on February 10 the selection of Fathi Bashagha, who served as minister of interior at the Government of National Accord (GNA) that left power in January 2021, as prime minister.

The incumbent prime minister is Abdel Hamid al-Dbeiba, who is heading the Government of National Unity (GNU). The GNU is an interim government that was elected by an UN-backed committee encompassing representatives of the Libyan people, and that took office in January 2021.

According to the roadmap adopted by that committee, presidential and parliamentary elections should have been held on December 24. However, they were postponed after the number of candidates running for president had amounted to 65.

The GNU succeeded the GNA that was formed in 2014 per Skhirat Agreement, a transitional plan, and that was supposed to hand over power in 2017. But, the lack of national congruence inhibited holding elections.

The Tripoli-based GNA was controlling western Libya through militias, while the House of Representatives - based in Tobruk - was controlling eastern Libya through the Libyan National Army (LNA) – based in Benghazi - and a government it had formed.

The GNU was supposed to rule from Sirte, located in central Libya, as a sign of unifying the country, for the first time since the assassination of former Libyan President Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. Nevertheless, it has been operating from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Further, "Dbeibah, has said he does not recognise the parliament's attempt to remove him, that his government remains valid and that he will not step down," as reporter by Reuters.