TRIPOLI: Two of Triploli’s most powerful armed factions fought across the city on Tuesday, stranding civilians in their homes and raising fears that the capital’s worst violence this year could escalate.
The death toll from the violence is still unclear but a medical unit associated with the Ministry of Defense said it had recovered three bodies from Ain Zara, Furnaj, and Tarik Shok districts, according to media reports.
The Health Ministry appealed to people to donate blood to help the injured. Spokesperson for the ambulance service Usama Ali said that nineteen people had been wounded and twenty-six families evacuated from a strife-affected district.
Dark smoke hung over parts of Tripoli, and the sound of heavy weapons rattled through the streets. Residents and local media reported fighting in different areas during the day.
The United Nations envoy to Libya urged for an immediate end to the fighting.
Clashes Shatter Peace in Tripoli
The clashes between the Special Deterrence Force and the 444 Brigade, which both supported the Interim Government of National Unity during brief wars last year, shattered months of relative peace in Tripoli.
Libya has had little calm or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, and it split between warring eastern and western factions in 2014.
An assault by eastern forces on the capital Tripoli, in the west, failed in 2020, leading to a cease-fire that has halted most major fighting. Turkiye, which supported the Tripoli government, maintained a military presence in the country.
Last year factions supporting a rival government declared by the eastern-based parliament initiated a doomed attempt to oust Dbeibah, leading to a day of intense clashes in Tripoli.
