The cold war that had been going on for months between Dibeybe and Bashagha turned into a hot conflict. The clashes in which 23 people lost their lives resulted in the loss of position in Tripoli by the paramilitary forces supporting Bashagha. The tension that had been escalating for a while in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, between the army units under the control of the National Unity Government (UBH) led by Abdulhamit Dibeybe and the militias close to the Stability Government led by Fethi Bashagha, who declared that they would enter Tripoli and take over the government, turned into a large-scale conflict yesterday.
The Tobruk-based House of Representatives (TM) announced the end of the UBH’s mandate about six months ago and elected Bashagha as the prime minister, but the UBH led by Dibeybe decided to remain in office until the elections were held. Having the support of a significant part of the Misrata militia, Bashagha announced several times that he would enter Tripoli and take over the government “peacefully”, but he did not hence local and international mediation attempts continued. However, after these attempts failed, small-scale armed clashes broke out between the militias in Tripoli.
Explanation “conflicts”
Most recently, Bashagha called on Dibeybe on August 24th to voluntarily relinquish his post and surrender power in the capital without bloodshed: “You have to voluntarily surrender your expired authority in the context of respecting the principles of democracy and complying with the decisions of the legislatures that gave you a vote of confidence.”
Dibeybe said he would not respond to this call because he was “busy to serve the Libyans” and added: “Former Interior Minister (Bashagha), limit your repeated threatening messages of waging war and targeting civilians. If you care about the lives of Libyans, focus your efforts on making the elections happen. Also, let go of your past dreams of military coups.”
Military Build-Up and Conflict
After the statements, the surroundings of Tripoli witnessed the military build-up of the forces loyal to Dibeybe and Bashagha. Allegedly, the random firing of militias close to Bashagha on a military convoy affiliated with UBH ignited the clashes. The clashes that started in the Bin Gaşir and Sarim regions of Tripoli yesterday morning spread to the central areas of the city such as Cumhuriyet Street and Dahra in the following hours.
The first clashes took place between the militia forces led by Haitem Tajouri, who is known for his closeness to Bashagha, and the Stability Support Union affiliated to the Presidential Council. At noon, a military convoy from the city of Misrata, 200 kilometers east of Tripoli, near Bashagha, arrived to the east of the capital. In the south, the Zintanli Brigades affiliated with the Head of Military Intelligence Department, Osama Cuveyli, whom Dibeybe was dismissed on May 17th, moved towards the city and tried to take control of the main roads and junctions between the city center and Tripoli Airport.
Militia had to retreat
The militias trying to reach Tripoli from Misrata were prevented from entering the city by aerial bombardment, and the forces affiliated with the Stability Support Union captured the main headquarters of Haitem Tajouri’s militia. The militia led by Cuveyli had to retreat further south towards the evening. Although small-scale clashes continued until this morning, the conflict was mostly silenced by the defeat of the forces loyal to Bashagha. Libyan Ministry of Health announced that 23 people lost their lives and 140 people were injured in the clashes.
Prime Minister Dibeybe also went down to the streets in the evening and visited the troops that ensure the security of the city. In the video he published about the visit to Dibeybe, he stated that the coup period is over, anyone who wants can enter the elections, and “the brave men are present now” against those who try the other way.
On the other hand, after the attacks on Dibeybe, Tripoli, the Ministry of Interior sent a written instruction to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and the relevant security forces, ordering immediate action to arrest all those involved in the attack, regardless of whether they were militia or civilians.
The Libyan State Supreme Council also announced that the responsibility belongs to the party who fired the bullet first in the events in the capital, and said, “Our stance is firm on the unification of state institutions under a single roof and the completion of the work to hold elections as soon as possible.”
‘Political process is at risk’
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs made statements on the subject of these conflicts: “We invite both parties to act with the understanding, to exercise restraint and common sense; We call for an immediate end to these conflicts.” He also noted:
“The increase in violence also jeopardizes the Libyan people’s determination to achieve lasting peace and stability, their vision of advancing the political process, especially the holding of elections. In this regard, we expect the parties to stop with their weapons and focus on resolving their problems peacefully as soon as possible.”
On the other hand, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed its deep concern over the armed conflicts in the capital Tripoli and called for an immediate end to them.
Bashagha loses his power
If we look at the results of Bashagha’s attempt to enter Tripoli, which he tried for the second time after April;
- Despite all the efforts, the division between the armed forces under the control of Tripoli continues. This division threatens the security of the country.
- It seems that the militias supporting Bashagha had to withdraw to areas further away from Tripoli, compared to their pre-conflict positions.
- The positions that Bashagha lost in Tripoli seem to have weakened the chances of entering Tripoli, which was quite low.
