Libya clashes put Tripoli 'on edge of humanitarian crisis'

Fighting began this week after the commander of a militia was detained by a rival armed group

Forces affiliated with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity on patrol following two days of deadly clashes between rival groups in Libya's capital. AFP

Clashes in Libya's capital Tripoli that have left 55 dead and 146 injured have nearly overwhelmed hospitals, a health official has told The National.

The fighting – the worst in more than a year – began on Monday after the commander of a militia, Mahmoud Hamza, was detained by rival armed group Al Radaa Force. He was released on Tuesday, putting an end to the clashes.

But officials working closely on efforts to amend the country's constitution and organise elections say the fighting has been a massive setback to to finding a peaceful exit from Libya's ongoing crisis.

“The clashes were quite large and raging and if the clashes last longer, there will inevitably be a humanitarian crisis because they're taking place in a highly populated area,” Malek Merset, a Tripoli-based spokesman for the Libyan government's Emergency Medicine and Support Centre, told The National.

“We are working as best as possible to save lives and reduce human losses. Given the nature of our role on the front lines to help the victims of this war, the number of people injured who were given first aid and then transported to hospital is around 106 people in addition to 27 people killed.”

About 230 families were evacuated from frontline areas in the capital's southern suburbs, along with dozens of doctors and paramedics trapped by the fighting while caring for the wounded, the Emergency Medicine Centre said.

The Libyan Health Ministry urged the warring sides to allow ambulance and emergency teams to enter the affected areas, primarily in the south of the city, and for blood to be sent to nearby hospitals.

The social council in the south-eastern suburb of Soug El Joumaa, an Al Radaa Force stronghold, announced an agreement had been reached with Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibeh, head of the UN-recognised government based in the capital, for Mr Hamza to be handed over to a “neutral party”.

In a televised announcement, the council said a ceasefire would follow the transfer of the force's commander. Late on Tuesday, the fighting abated.

Both armed groups are aligned with Mr Dbeibeh's government, one of two rival administrations that vie for power through shifting alliances with the militias on the ground.

The UN mission in Libya declined to comment on the situation following a request from The National.

Officials and experts close to Libya's political process doubt that the UN can do much more to stop the violence. A proposed UN peacekeeping team, which could help the country to navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace, has not garnered support.

“There is no political support for these types of things. The UN mission in Libya has very little tools so there is nothing they can do,” an international official, who did not want to be named for security reasons, told The National.

“The international community is divided. The UN can be effective if it represents the international community, but it's not unified and working against all the factions in Libya and against the international community.”

The international community and the UN have repeatedly said nationwide elections are key to ending the country's decade-long power vacuum.

But for years, rival leaders have failed to agree on election laws that would set the terms of that vote.

Electoral process to be affected

“There weren't plans to conduct elections this year. We saw how the draft laws were delayed,” Suzan Hemmi, a former official at the High National Elections Commission, told The National.

“There were also logistical issues regarding biometrics and fingerprinting which will not be ready for another year and a half.

“There are also technical and legal issues which mean that elections will not be held this year or early next year.”

Ms Hemmi, an adviser at the Women's Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, said she believed the recent clashes would affect the electoral process.

The international official said talks on constitutional change could theoretically diffuse tension – “but not in the way it’s currently being discussed”.

“The way things are going, it's creating a roadblock that will never be resolved,” she said.

The constitutional amendments are intended to provide a basis for the elections.

Since 2014, Libya has been divided between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of well-armed militias and foreign governments.

The oil-rich North African nation has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled and later killed long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi.