Militias patrolled nearly deserted streets in Libya’s capital on Sunday, a day after clashes killed over 30 people and ended months of relative calm in Tripoli.
The fighting broke out early on Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration that has sought to be seated in the capital over recent months.
Residents fear the fighting, that capped a months-long political deadlock, could explode into a wider war and a return to the peaks of Libya’s long-running conflict.
Libya has been plunged into chaos since a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich county has been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments, for years.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s refusal to step down.
In response, the country’s east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has sought to install his government in Tripoli for months.
Saturday’s fighting was focused in the densely populated city centre and involved heavy artillery. Hundreds were trapped and hospitals, government and residential buildings were damaged.
The health ministry said at least 32 people were killed and 159 wounded in the clashes.
Among the dead was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. He was shot reportedly while live-streaming on social media. It was not clear whether he was targeted.
One woman who was trapped along with many families in a residential apartment told The Associated Press: “We see death before our eyes and in the eyes of our children.
“The world should protect those innocent children like they did at the time of Gadhafi.”
Militias allied with Tripoli-based Mr Dbeibah were seen roaming the streets in the capital early on Sunday. Their rivals were stationed at their positions in the outskirts of the city, according to local media.
Much of the city has suffered nightly power cuts. Several businesses were closed on Sunday and the state-run National Oil Corp ordered its employees to work remotely on Sunday.
Residents were still weary of potential violence and most stayed in their homes on Sunday. Many rushed to supermarkets when the clashes subsided late on Saturday to stock up on food and other necessities.
“It could be triggered in a flash. They (the militias) are uncontrolled,” one Tripoli school teacher said.
“Our demand is very simple: a normal life.”
Mr Dbeibah’s government claimed the fighting began when a member of a rival militia fired at a patrol of another militia in Tripoli’s Zawiya Street.
It said the shots came amid a mobilisation of Bashagha-allied groups around the capital. The claim could not be independently verified.
Militia clashes are not uncommon in Tripoli. Last month, at least 13 people were killed in militia fighting. And in May, Mr Bashagha attempted to install his government in Tripoli, triggering clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the city.
