Clashes renewed in Tripoli on Sunday between rival militias that support Fayez al-Sarraj’s National Accord Government, which demonstrated its inability to impose its control over the Libyan capital.
As a result of the unrest, the General Electric Company stated that it had to cut electricity because the armed clashes led to the disconnection of power lines to the eastern part of the city.
Local sources reported that Castelverde, 60km east of Tripoli, witnessed an exchange of fire with the use of heavy weapons and tanks.
The “Kanyat” Seventh Infantry Brigade declared in a statement that Castelverde has become a military zone, demanding that a suspect wanted in the killing of one of its fighters be handed over.
The government meanwhile abstained from commenting on the developments until Sunday evening. Earlier, it had only announced that Sarraj had met a US medical team at his Tripoli headquarters.
The National Commission for Human Rights of Libya voiced fears over the latest rounds of violence in Castelverde, demanding a prompt ceasefire to save civilians.
It urged local councils in Tarhuna and Castelverde to intervene immediately in order to reach a ceasefire and end the escalation.
It also called on the United Nations Security Council and international human rights organizations to impose international sanctions and prosecute parties involved in the military escalation.
Hafez bin Sassi, the municipal chief of Libya’s western Zuwara city, revealed that an agreement was reached with Sarraj’s government to suspend a military operation, which was launched by pro-government forces on Friday to seize the Ras Jadeer border crossing.
