The death toll from the conflict in Libya is rising rapidly, with at least 32 dead and 159 injured at the latest count.
Fighting between armed groups that broke out Friday night into Saturday in Tripoli, amid political chaos and the conflict between the two governments vying for power, killed 32 people and wounded 159 others, according to a new tally announced on Sunday (28/08) the Ministry of Health of Libya.
Calm has returned to Tripoli after clashes between armed groups in several districts of the Libyan capital.
Gunfire and shelling could be heard throughout the night on Friday and during the day yesterday, Saturday, until nightfall in several districts of the capital.
Two governments have been vying for power since March: one based in Tripoli under Abdelhamid Dbayba from 2021 and another under Fathi Batsaga backed by the camp of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman in eastern Libya.
The clashes resulted in the failure of Fati Batsaga's attempt to oust his rival's government, according to media and experts.
Armed groups considered neutral in this political bra-de-fer, notably the al-Radaa Force, have aligned themselves with Dbayba, playing a decisive role in the outcome of the fighting.
It is the second failed attempt by Batsaga, a former interior minister, to oust his rival from power.
The new clashes are on an unprecedented scale after the failure in June 2020 of Marshal Haftar's campaign to take the capital militarily at the height of the civil strife that followed the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
Libya was plunged into political crisis at the end of Gaddafi's rule with rivalries between the main provinces, power struggles and foreign interventions.
