Libyan Defense Ministry issues arrest warrant for parliament-appointed prime minister

By Ali Semerci and Ebu Bekir Askin

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The Military Prosecutor's Office of Libya’s Defense Ministry issued an arrest warrant Sunday for Tobruk parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha following clashes in the capital Tripoli.

The prosecutor’s office made a written request to the police, intelligence services and all security services in the country for the arrest.

It also demanded the arrest of Bashagha’s major ally, Maj. Gen. Osama al-Juwaili, the former head of the Tripoli-based military intelligence service; Bashagha’s Minister of Health and his government spokesman Othman Abdel-Jalil; and Mohamed Sowan, the chairman of Libya’s Democratic Party.

Bashagha blamed Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and government officials for the clashes in Tripoli.

Meanwhile, Dbeibeh on Sunday made an address to the nation via the official Facebook account of the Libyan government regarding the recent developments in the capital.

"We will bring those responsible for the attacks in Tripoli to justice," he said.

At least 32 people were killed and 159 others injured in clashes between rival militias in several districts of Tripoli.

The situation calmed in the capital on Sunday, one day after the heavy clashes between forces backing Dbeibeh and forces loyal to his rival Bashagha, who was appointed by the Tobruk-based parliament as prime minister.

The violence, the worst since reaching a cease-fire in 2020, came amid military buildups by forces affiliated with Dbeibeh and Bashagha, as both figures claim power and authority in the capital.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz