Clashes break out in Tripoli, drive rival Libyan PM away

CAIRO (AP) — An attempt by one of Libya’s rival prime ministers to seat his government in the capital of Tripoli triggered clashes Tuesday between competing militias, forcing the newly appointed premier to leave the city and underscoring the fragility of the situation in the chaos-stricken nation.

Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha’s office said he had arrived in Tripoli with a number of ministers from his Cabinet early on Tuesday — three months after his appointment to lead an interim government in the war-wracked country.

His arrival was likely to fuel more tensions between Libya’s rival administrations. In the morning, local media reported clashes between different militias and rival forces supporting the two sides in central Tripoli and elsewhere in the city.

“We arrived in the capital peacefully and safely. The reception was excellent,” Bashagha said in earlier video comments, adding that his government was ready to work with all Libyans, including those opposing him.

There was no comment on his arrival from the government of embattled Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who is based in Tripoli.

Later Tuesday, Bashagha's office said he and his ministers left Tripoli “for the sake of the security and safety of citizens and to stop the bloodshed.”

The U.N. special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, urged calm and for rival parties to engage in talks to resolve their disputes.

“Conflict cannot be solved with violence, but with dialogue and mediation,” she tweeted, adding that the United Nations is ready to host all parties “in helping Libya find a genuine, consensual way forward towards stability and elections.”

Bashagha, a former interior minister, was named prime minister by the country’s east-based parliament in February. But Dbeibah, a wealthy businessman, has...