Libya: At Least 32 Killed In Tripoli Clashes

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Facts

  • Violent clashes erupted on Sat. in Libya's capital Tripoli between several armed groups backed by the country's two rival governments, sparking fears that a political crisis could turn into a new armed conflict.
  • The Health Ministry said Sun. that at least 32 people were killed and 159 others injured during the heaviest clashes in Tripoli in over two years, though fighting appeared to have calmed by Sunday.
  • The latest clashes erupted when militias loyal to the parliament-backed government of Fathi Bashagha in the country's east failed to take control of the capital and oust the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) of PM Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah.
  • Meanwhile, Bashagha and Dbeibah on Sun. denied each other's political legitimacy and blamed one another for the outbreak. Libya's presidential election, scheduled for Dec. 2021, wasn't held due to various disagreements, leading to Bashagha's appointment by the eastern-based parliament in Tobruk.
  • In May, Bashagha attempted to install his government in Tripoli, leading to clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the capital. Last month, at least 13 people were killed in fighting between the militias.
  • Oil-rich Libya has been split since 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, each supported by militias and foreign governments. The failed offensive by the eastern commander and Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar led to a ceasefire in 2020 and a UN-backed peace process that resulted in the formation of the Dbeibah-led GNU.

Sources: DW, Al Jazeera, Reuters, NPR Online News, and France24.

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Foreign Policy. Bashagha's attempt to storm Tripoli couldn't have occurred without at least the tacit support of Russia. Russian mercenaries helped Haftar's advance on the capital, supporting him as he committed serious atrocities on the city's outskirts. If peace is to be found in Libya, world powers, namely France, must end their support for eastern factions, as it only empowers Russia's position in the country.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by IOL. While the West never tires of demonizing Russia and China as threats to the "international community," current events in Libya are ultimately nothing more than the long shadow of the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Gaddafi. The chaos in Libya is just another example of how the US and its allies are destroying global and regional security for their own interests. It's these double standards that pose the greatest threat.
  • Narrative C, as provided by Middle East Eye. The fact that Fathi Bashagha has now once again failed to extend his power to Tripoli and oust the GNU under Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is only the foreshadowing of a likely military escalation since Bashagha now has his back to the wall. One glimmer of hope is that the external actors in this conflict are unlikely to be interested in a full-blown proxy war, so a war over Tripoli would likely be shorter and less destructive.