Libya Erupting Into New Civil War As Rival Factions Battle On Streets Of Tripoli

[Swordsmyth]

Long forgotten in Western mainstream media, Libya has suddenly come back into headlines as a small civil war is erupting within areas under control of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
Scores of people have been killed and wounded amidst intensifying clashes in the Libyan capital as rival factions vie for control of the city.
Notably, the clashes have involved the shelling of residential areas in southern sections of Tripoli, street-to-street fighting, and tanks in the streets, reminiscent of the 2011 war which eventually led to a NATO air campaign and forcible removal and assassination of Libya's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.


Al-Jazeera reports Monday's escalating violence which began over the weekend, and which has resulted in a declared state of emergency being throughout the capital:

At least four people have been killed and seven others wounded in clashes that broke out between rival armed groups in Libya's capital, Tripoli, as they attempt to take control of the city.
The health ministry declared a state of emergency on Monday, according to local media, after the Sunday evening clashes continued to escalate.
The fighting erupted between local militias and al-Kani tribal fighters from Tarhouna, southeast of Tripoli, who are sending reinforcements to the country's north.
​

Local and international reports confirm that both sides of the fighting are loyal to the UN and internationally backed GNA.


More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018...-civil-war-rival-factions-war-streets-tripoli

 

[RonZeplin]

Upset that there's no sequel yet to Innocence of Muslims

They're angry that SOS Pompeo hasn't released a sequel to Hillary's "Innocence of Muslims". Those CIA Democratic Rebels love them some

Muhammad flicks.
​

President Hillary would have got 'er done by now.

 

[Swordsmyth]

After we reported heavy inter-factional fighting within the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA)-controlled Tripoli last week, Libya's capital city has only descended into further chaos and is quickly sliding toward full-on civil war.
On Saturday a barrage of rockets rained down on the city center, reportedly striking residential homes and a popular hotel; and tanks continue to roam the streets amidst intensifying street-to-street fighting which after a week has left 40 dead, nearly half of those civilians, and four of those children. Local authorities also have cited over 100 wounded in battles that have often raged in the heart of residential areas in Tripoli's southern districts.
And what's more, the largest prison break in the country's recent history occurred on Sunday, with some 400 detainees taking advantage of nearby fighting in southern suburbs to escape Ain Zara prison, according to the AFP.


The 15 or more rockets landing on the capital city and its surrounding environs over the weekend forced the suspension of all flights at Tripoli's only operational airport. A state of emergency has been declared by the ruling GNA over the entirety of the capital area.
Though post-Gaddafi Libya, long forgotten about in the media after its "liberation" by NATO and Islamist militants, has since 2011 existed in varying degrees of anarchy and chaos with up the four governments recently ruling different parts of the country, this past week has witnessed the worst unrest in Tripoli in years.
Al Jazeera summarizes the factions involved and their motives in some of its latest coverage:

The fighting between the rival armed groups broke out earlier this week. Street battles on Monday and Tuesday pitted the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, from Tarhouna, a town 65km southeast of Tripoli, against the Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades (TRB) and the Nawasi, two of the capital's largest factions.
The Kaniyat and other groups from outside Tripoli have noticed the success of rivals inside the city with growing unease. Reports about the wealth, power and extravagant lifestyles of some Tripoli rebel commanders have fuelled resentment.
​

So nearly seven years after Muammar Gaddafi's field execution beside a ditch outside of Sirte in October 2011, the dozens of factions ruling the streets of Tripoli are still essentially fighting for the spoils of power.
Local and international reports confirm that both sides of the fighting are loyal to the UN and internationally backed GNA.


More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018...ets-rain-down-tripoli-after-week-libya-unrest

 

[enhanced_deficit]

The way our freedom/racial equality values were spreaded there was not perfect, so civil wars vioelnce is not surprising. Unfortunately McCain no longer with us to help sort this mess out.

 

[timosman]

The way our freedom/racial equality values were spreaded there was not perfect, so civil wars vioelnce is not surprising. Unfortunately McCain no longer with us to help sort this mess out.

We should be able to threaten them with lower FICO scores.

 

[Swordsmyth]

The UN mission in Libya said a ceasefire agreement was reached on Tuesday to end a week of clashes in the capital Tripoli that have killed at least 50 people."Under the auspices of (UN envoy Ghassan Salame), a ceasefire agreement was reached and signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property," the UNSMIL mission said.
After another day of violent clashes in the capital's southern suburbs, the fighting came to a pause in the early evening but it was unclear if all the groups involved would respect the agreement.
Last week, a ceasefire deal announced by officials from western cities only held for a few hours.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/un-says-ceasefire-agreed-end-clashes-libyas-tripoli-182204353.html

 

[Swordsmyth]

Armed groups vying for control of the Libyan capital have agreed to set up a mechanism to "consolidate" a recently agreed ceasefire, the United Nations' Libya mission, UNSMIL, said on Sunday.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/armed-groups-agree-keep-tripoli-ceasefire-u-n-172245493.html

 

[Swordsmyth]

The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) issued a statement late Friday calling on the U.N. to take "concrete and effective" action to protect civilians and halt fighting near the capital. The GNA urged the UN mission to "present the Security Council with the reality of the bloody events in Libya so that it can... protect the lives and property of civilians".
On Friday alone clashes in Tripoli left 15 dead and dozens more wounded, according to official health ministry statements.
Since fresh fighting again erupted in Tripoli on August 26 (there's been internecine battles in the capital for years), whole sections of the city have been shut down, especially the southern suburbs where initial street battles began, which has witnessed the shelling of residential areas, street-to-street fighting, and tanks in the streets — allreminiscent of the 2011 war which eventually led to a NATO air campaign and forcible removal and assassination of Libya's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

According to international reports, some of the feuding militias have come mostly from Libya's third city Misrata and the town of Tarhouna southeast of the capital; however, the early weeks of fighting were driven mostly by rival factions within the GNA itself.
On Friday UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a statement through his spokesman, saying he is "alarmed by the increasing number of violations of the ceasefire agreement." Guterres called on the warring militias to respect a prior truce and to "refrain from any actions that would increase the suffering of the civilian population".
He said groups responsible for "the violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be held responsible," according to the statement.
Previously the UN Support Mission in Libya voiced concerns over "the use of indiscriminate fire and heavy weapons in densely populated residential areas."

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018...tions-take-concrete-action-halt-tripoli-chaos