Libya: Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh calls for evacuation of Tripoli area
While in Libya clashes between two militias rocked Tripoli on Friday night, one of the two prime ministers Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh ordered members of the neutral military force 444 to intervene to secure the area and protect civilians.
A video of the call was released by the Libyan government’s capital-based YouTube channel.
The situation was very, very worrying, honestly… children and families, what were they doing? And families, where could they go? Where can people go? Fortunately, people were not hurt. The most important thing is that we have these families and people who have come to take shelter and rest in a nice area of Tripoli…” Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, one of Libya’s two prime ministers, said on the phone that night.
According to a security source, fighting broke out in the late afternoon, in the residential area of Souk Talat in the capital. They have pitted two militias, Al-Nawasi and the Stability Facility. The clashes came as tensions between the militias increased after the arrest of fighters from both sides.
“What happened yesterday is entirely due to the lack of state, security and stability and the lack of training of the Libyan army and police. It wasn’t like the previous times. Sometimes militias come at the end of the day, and the streets are empty. But yesterday, there were many people in the streets,” anonymously testified a Souk Talat resident.
Footage broadcast by Libyan media showed civilians fleeing the busy streets of the city after being caught in crossfire.
According to a security source, one person died during these clashes, which also caused significant material damage.
