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Clashes Erupt in Tripoli between GNA-Affiliated Militias

GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj in a meeting with leaders of Sirte-al-Jufra Liberation Operations Room (GNA)
GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj in a meeting with leaders of Sirte-al-Jufra Liberation Operations Room (GNA)
TT
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Clashes Erupt in Tripoli between GNA-Affiliated Militias

GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj in a meeting with leaders of Sirte-al-Jufra Liberation Operations Room (GNA)
GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj in a meeting with leaders of Sirte-al-Jufra Liberation Operations Room (GNA)

Armed clashes erupted on Thursday between security members of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Eyewitnesses said that the warring sides have used heavy and medium weapons.

The clash took place between the General Security Force and the Deterrence Force in the Andalus neighborhood, in the center of Tripoli.

No official statements were made by the government or security bodies. However, sources revealed that the clashes followed a dispute between GNA-affiliated militias.

This came as GNA Chief Fayez Al-Sarraj vowed to pay all dues for the fighting forces and compensate wounded individuals, according to Libyan sources.

He delivered his remarks during a meeting he held with military leaders, representatives from noble councils, businessmen, and Misrata municipality.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Wednesday called for the unification of the country's electoral authorities for the municipal council elections.

Remarkably, Libya’s political process continues to make progress through the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) towards securing the necessary conditions for the holding of national elections on December 24, 2021.

The Mission urged all Libyan stakeholders, institutions, and actors involved in municipal elections, including the eastern-based House of Representatives, to support and facilitate cooperation between the two electoral entities of the capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi, as an essential step towards the unification of Libyan institutions.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.