Major clashes broke out in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Thursday evening and Friday for the first time in about two years. At least 16 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured, the health ministry said. At least six civilians were among the dead, the spokesman for the local emergency services said. These are the fiercest fighting since the summer of 2020 and the first major violation of the national ceasefire in Libya since it came into effect in October of that year.
On Saturday it remained rather calm in Tripoli. Air traffic at the airport, which had been temporarily suspended, was also resumed. However, fighting also broke out in the coastal city of Misrata on Saturday.
Libya has remained rudderless since the fall of dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. The country, a base for migrants seeking to move to Europe, is prey to violence, chaos and a power struggle between the government in the capital, Tripoli. and the reign of warlord Khalifa Haftar in the east of the country. In the background, the great powers compete for influence.