2nd Libyan Civil War
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 12:32 pm
It's been going on for a while, apparently.
The Guardian
The Guardian
Residents of Tripoli have spoken of their fear and confusion as clashes between UN-backed government forces and troops loyal to the Benghazi strongman Khalifa Haftar continue in its southern suburbs.
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The escalation in violence on Monday came as the Tripoli based government announced on Sunday it was launching a counter-offensive against Haftar’s advance that it had named Operation Volcano of Anger.
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With the death toll from days of fighting reaching into several dozens, international organisations continued to evacuate non-essential staff, following the lead of the US which withdrew some of its troops over the weekend.
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One of the most severely affected locations appears to be the frontline town of Gharyan to the south of Tripoli, which Haftar’s forces seized last week, where residents have reported shortages of food and petrol.
The stress of the fighting is compounded by an already crumbling infrastructure. Since civil war broke out in 2014 Tripoli has been divided into a patchwork of militia fiefdoms, these militias fighting periodic street battles every few months. Well before Haftar’s forces launched their offensive, the city was replete with militia checkpoints and earth berms, with kidnappings and shootings common.
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The UN-backed government has no security forces of its own, and with much of the public administration in chaos, water, petrol and power shortages have been common for the past four years. Long lines regularly form outside the few banks still operating after a banknote shortage stretching back more than a year.