{"id":167770,"date":"2022-03-12T16:09:57","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T08:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=167770"},"modified":"2022-03-12T16:09:57","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T08:09:57","slug":"libya-armed-groups-backing-rival-pm-withdraw-from-tripoli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=167770","title":{"rendered":"Libya armed groups backing rival PM withdraw from Tripoli"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Members
Armed groups backing Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah control Tripoli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TRIPOLI, March 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libya\u2019s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha said that armed groups backing him have withdrawn from positions around Tripoli, after the UN warned of a new escalation in the divided country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libya has had rival administrations since the eastern-based assembly swore in Bashagha as prime minister<\/a> earlier this month in a challenge to interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah<\/a>. Dbeibah has refused to hand over power to Bashagha, arguing that his own administration, installed last year under a United Nations-led peace process, had a mandate to rule until elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-Bashagha forces had deployed on the eastern edges of Tripoli on Thursday, prompting the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to warn against any escalation. But Bashagha\u2019s office said in a statement in the early hours of Friday that the groups had \u201copted not to use arms, and to return to their bases\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The groups had mobilised \u201cto provide security, not to wage war\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bashagha had said on Wednesday that he would be in Tripoli in \u201ctwo or three days\u201d, raising fears that fighting could break out between rival armed groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libya has been riven by conflict since the 2011 revolt that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and has had two rival governments before: from 2014 until Dbeibah was sworn in last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington\u2019s ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, had also warned on Thursday about spiralling tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late on Thursday evening, he said he had spoken to Dbeibah and Bashagha, praising what he said were moves to resolve the standoff peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He commended Dbeibah\u2019s \u201ccommitment to protect lives\u201d and Bashagha\u2019s \u201cwillingness to de-escalate tensions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLibya\u2019s stability and unity can only be sustained through dialogue and respect for the right of freedom of movement throughout the country,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recording published on Friday, Bashagha said he was \u201cready for any dialogue\u201d and repeated that he was \u201ca supporter of peace, not war\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reassure our compatriots in Tripoli that there will not be a war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UN\u2019s top official in Libya, Stephanie Williams, had offered on March 5 to mediate<\/a> between Dbeibah and Bashagha in an attempt to bring Libya\u2019s rival administrations together. Both sides have been asked to nominate six delegates each to form a joint committee to work towards a constitutional framework for elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, despite plans for the committee to meet on March 15, only Libya\u2019s High Council of State, which backs Dbeibah, has so far agreed to nominate delegates. — NNN-AGENCIES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TRIPOLI, March 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libya\u2019s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha said that armed groups backing him have withdrawn from positions around Tripoli, after the UN warned of a new escalation in the divided country. Libya has had rival administrations since the eastern-based assembly swore in Bashagha as prime minister earlier this month in a challenge to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[213],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167770"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=167770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167771,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167770\/revisions\/167771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=167770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=167770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=167770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}