Over the past days, the UN’s Libya mission warned against clashes in the country’s capital on Wednesday as tensions rose between rival militias, four months after clashes that left over 100 people dead. Tripoli has been completely destabilized, with violence peaking this past summer, leaving at least 117 dead and hundreds wounded. Libya has been torn between rival administrations and a myriad of militias since the overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. A second administration in the east of Libya is backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar and his self-proclaimed Libyan National Army. The UN is pushing for elections to help stabilize Libya, but chronic violence has delayed plans for a vote.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 16, 2019 19:18 UTC