Bashagha to Set Up Govt in Sirte after Tripoli Clashes

Fathi Bashagha, then Libya's interior minister, sits during an interview Jan. 6, 2021 in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
Fathi Bashagha, then Libya's interior minister, sits during an interview Jan. 6, 2021 in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
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Bashagha to Set Up Govt in Sirte after Tripoli Clashes

Fathi Bashagha, then Libya's interior minister, sits during an interview Jan. 6, 2021 in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)
Fathi Bashagha, then Libya's interior minister, sits during an interview Jan. 6, 2021 in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)

Libyan Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha said Wednesday he would seat his government in the central city of Sirte, after clashes forced him to abort his attempt the previous day to bring his Cabinet to the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

He announced that he has chosen the city of Sirte, along Libya’s Mediterranean coast and half way between the country’s east and west, serving as a link between them.

Bashagha, a former interior minister, was named prime minister by the country’s east-based parliament in February. But his rival, Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, based in Tripoli, in the country's west, has refused to step down, insisting he will hand over power only to an elected government.

Dbeibah was appointed last year in a UN-led process, mired in allegations of corruption and bribery, to lead the country through elections in December that never took place.

Bashagha attempted Tuesday to seat his government Tripoli, in a move that resulted in clashes with militias allied with Dbeibah just hours after Bashagha and his Cabinet ministers entered the Libyan capital. At least one man was killed and five others wounded in the clashes, authorities said.

Both prime ministers blamed each other for provoking the violence, which raised fears that the country could once again return to civil war after more than a year of tense calm.

"Libya will not be stopped by a city or region," Bashagha told reporters from Sirte late Tuesday, describing Tripoli as a "kidnaped city" held by his rival, Dbeibah.

Bashagha said he would return to Tripoli once he makes sure that "there will no bloodshed."

Sirte is also the gateway to the country’s major oil fields and export terminals.

Bashagha’s move to Sirte is likely to deepen the political split in the already divided country and intensify the crisis.

The idea of seating the Libyan government in Sirte was floated in the 2020 talks that ended the latest major bout of fighting in Libya. More recently, influential Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh - an ally of Bashagha - called for him to operate from Sirte rather than attempt to set up his government in Tripoli.



Fifty-four Children Swim from Morocco to Spanish Enclave Ceuta

A view shows migrants reaching a police boat, while other group of migrants swim in the background, as at least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, in Ceuta, Spain July 25, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a video. Reuters
A view shows migrants reaching a police boat, while other group of migrants swim in the background, as at least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, in Ceuta, Spain July 25, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a video. Reuters
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Fifty-four Children Swim from Morocco to Spanish Enclave Ceuta

A view shows migrants reaching a police boat, while other group of migrants swim in the background, as at least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, in Ceuta, Spain July 25, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a video. Reuters
A view shows migrants reaching a police boat, while other group of migrants swim in the background, as at least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, in Ceuta, Spain July 25, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a video. Reuters

At least 54 children and about 30 adults swam from Morocco to Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in rough seas and fog, Spanish television reported on Saturday. Video footage on Spanish television channel RTVE showed Civil Guard launches making repeated rescue attempts to bring some of the swimmers to safety, while others swam across to the enclave.

The children, who were mostly Moroccan, were taken to temporary centres in Ceuta, where authorities called for help from the central government in dealing with the latest arrivals, Reuters reported.

"Don't leave us alone. This is a matter of state. This has to be resolved," Juan Rivas of the Ceuta regional government told reporters on Saturday.

On August 26 last year, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, local police said. In 2021, one boy was seen floating on empty plastic bottles in his attempt to reach Ceuta.

Spain's two enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa. The enclaves sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach Europe.

Moroccan nationals detained during the crossings are immediately sent back to Morocco unless they are underage or seeking asylum.

People from other nationalities are taken to special centers where they are given shelter and released after a few days.

Three years ago, at least 23 people died in a stampede when about 2,000 migrants tried to storm into Melilla, pushing down the border fence.