Libya on Brink of Proxy War for Control of Tripoli

Date: 16 July 2017 - 20:54

News ID: ۴۱۷۹۵

TRIPOLI (Dispatches) -- As chaos reigns in Libya, with competing authorities continuing to vie for power, the battle for Tripoli appears to have begun anew.
Clashes broke out earlier this week, in the east of the capital city, between forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) and those loyal to the National Guard of the Salvation Government (SG).
The capital is an important target for warring sides in the region, offering control over strategic assets such as the Libyan Central Bank, the air and sea ports in the city, as well as all other institutions.
The Garabulli region, where the clashes took place, is considered a strategic gateway into the city, and fighting there may have been intended to be the start of a wider battle.
The clashes left at least four dead and over 20 injured, according to the UN-backed government's health ministry, with the SG forces being pushed further from the city.
Each of the parties is being steered by external governments. They are each backed by different countries, and the war they are fighting is not just a war between Libyans
The PC, based in the country's western capital city Tripoli, was welcomed by much of the population with great optimism. However, over the year and four months in which it has been somewhat in power, public opinion of al-Sarraj and his government has plummeted.
Next is the Government of National Salvation, which presides over the General National Congress elected in 2012, and which is also in Tripoli.
Finally, there is the third grouping in the east of the country, comprising various authorities, including military forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar and the House of Representatives.
The three power houses in the country have all had their sights set on the capital, with each enjoying backing from external powers.
The GNA has the support of the United States, but Tripoli has been rife with clashes and instability ever since the GNA came into the city last year.
The government in the east has the support of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with the UAE breaking an arms embargo by supplying Haftar's forces with military supplies, according to the UN.
All of these parties want to control the capital, observers say, and all of the assets within it and surrounding it, including oil ports; claiming Tripoli would be the first step to controlling the rest of the country.
Accusations have also been made, by the UAE and others, against the SG that they are supported by Qatar and Turkey.