The Prime Minister designated by the Libyan Parliament announced on Friday the withdrawal of armed groups which had taken position at the gates of Tripoli to support him against the executive in place, after calls for calm from the UN and Washington. Already undermined by divisions between competing institutions in the East and West, Libya has found itself since early March with two rival governments, as it was from 2014 to 2021, then in the midst of a civil war after the overthrow of the Muammar Gaddafi regime.
A government formed by former interior minister Fathi Bachagha, endorsed by the parliament sitting in the east, is in effect competing with the incumbent Cabinet in the capital, Tripoli, stemming from UN-sponsored political deals and led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, who refuses to cede power.
Armed groups loyal to Fathi Bachagha mobilized at the entrances to Tripoli on Thursday, raising fears of clashes with forces under the orders of Mr. Dbeibah, as the country tries to extricate itself from more than a decade of political chaos. and conflicts.
Anxious to avoid a resumption of hostilities and the collapse of a ceasefire in place since October 2020, the UN Secretary-General’s envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, and the United States Ambassador United, Richard Norland, called Thursday evening for restraint.
The armed groups “preferred not to resort to arms” and carried out “a withdrawal to their previous positions”, announced the press service of Mr. Bachagha in a press release issued overnight from Thursday to Friday.
According to the text, this decision was taken to “avoid any bloodshed” and in response “to the requests of our foreign and regional partners”. In a recording broadcast on Friday, Mr. Bachagha said he was “ready for dialogue”, and affirmed that he was “in favor of peace, not war”. He added: “I assure our compatriots in Tripoli that there will be no war. »
Mr. Norland said Thursday evening that he had telephone conversations with MM. Bachagha and Dbeibah. “I spoke this evening with the Prime Minister designated by Parliament, Fathi Bachagha, and I commended him for his willingness to defuse tensions and seek to resolve the current political disagreements through negotiation and not by force. “, he mentioned in a tweet.
He also said he “appreciated” the commitment expressed to him by Mr. Dbeibah “to protect lives” and his “willingness to enter into negotiations to find a political solution”.