Fighting broke out in Tripoli after one of the two rival Libyan prime ministers entered the capital to claim the role only to flee hours later when he realised he had misjudged the scale of military opposition.
Fathi Bashagha said he had retreated to prevent further bloodshed. It was clear he found that the levels of militia support he had been promised were not forthcoming. He had entered the city in secret overnight with the support of one powerful armed group, the eighth brigade, but it found itself isolated and no other support arrived from outside the city.
In statements before his retreat, Bashagha’s camp made it clear they had planned to take control of the government, and claimed he had received a warm reception in the capital.
The bulk of the clashes occurred at dawn.
There has been stalemate in Libya with rival groups claiming to run the country. Parliamentary and presidential elections planned for last December had to be shelved as the eligibility of various candidates was disputed, and there was no consensus that the result would be honoured.
Credit: theguardian.com
