Despite truce, Libyan capital sees renewed clashes

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libyan capital Tripoli saw fresh confrontations on Wednesday despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that came into effect four months ago, with sporadic clashes being reported in the city’s Qasr bin Ghashir district.

The clashes appeared to pit the Seventh Infantry Brigade, previously affiliated with Libya’s Tripoli-based Defense Ministry, against the so-called Tripoli Protection Force, which is affiliated with the country’s UN-backed unity government.

On Sept. 4, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced that a ceasefire had been reached after days of bloody street fighting in the capital had left dozens dead.

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.