In the Libyan capital Tripoli, major fighting broke out on Thursday evening and Friday for the first time in around two years. At least 16 people were killed and more than 50 injured, according to the Ministry of Health on Saturday. According to the spokesman for the local rescue services, at least six civilians were among the fatalities.
It is the heaviest fighting since the summer of 2020 and the first major breach of the nationwide ceasefire in Libya since it came into force in October of the same year. The situation in Tripoli was initially calm on Saturday. The air traffic at the airport, which was temporarily suspended, was also resumed there.
The UN special adviser on Libya was "outraged" at the new outbreak of violence in the civil war country. Women and children were killed and injured at a wedding party, Stephanie Williams wrote on Twitter on Friday evening. “These fighting must stop!” The indiscriminate use of weapons in densely populated urban areas without the protection of civilians is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, Williams said.
In the coastal town of Misrata, there were also temporary clashes on Saturday, including militias allied with ex-Interior Minister Fathi Baschagha. In a controversial step, the parliament in the east had elected him head of government. At the same time, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba, who should have given up his post after an election in December, is claiming power in the country. The election burst - if and when it will be made up for is unclear.
The oil-rich country in North Africa descended into civil war after the fall of long-term ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. To this day, numerous militias and political camps are struggling for power and influence. Several foreign states, including Turkey and Russia, are involved in the conflict. All initiatives to settle the conflict have so far been unsuccessful.
The main victims are the Libyans. According to the UN, 1.3 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid. Many families have little or no access to medical care, food, drinking water or education. According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate is around 20 percent, and among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 it is estimated at 50 percent.
