Libya’s unity govt looks to assert authority in Tripoli

AFP

TRIPOLI: Libya’s unity government was trying to assert its authority in Tripoli Thursday after the new prime minister-designate’s sudden arrival in the capital sparked tensions.

Fayez Al-Sarraj’s arrival at a naval base on Wednesday drew fury from the militia-backed authority in charge of Tripoli, which demanded he leave or surrender.
Gunmen stormed the headquarters of a Libyan television station late on Wednesday, apparently in support of the new government, but the capital appeared calm early on Thursday.
Banks and shops were open, police were posted on the streets and flights had resumed at Metiga airport after being suspended on Wednesday “for security reasons.”
“The reactions have been better than we hoped for. The situation is good,” an adviser to Al-Sarraj told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
After spending the night at the naval base, Al-Sarraj was planning several visits around the capital on Thursday, his adviser said without providing further details.
The new government’s arrival had been hailed by the international community as a crucial step in restoring order to Libya, which has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi.
Formed under a power-sharing deal agreed in December, the unity government is meant to take over from rival groups running the country.
Libya has had two administrations since mid-2014 when the militia alliance overran Tripoli, setting up its own authority and forcing the internationally recognized parliament to flee to the country’s remote east.
International leaders, increasingly alarmed by the rise of jihadists and people-smugglers in the impoverished North African state, have called on Libya’s political rivals to back the unity government.
“I urge all to support an immediate, orderly and peaceful transfer of power to the #GNA in #Libya,” UN envoy Martin Kobler wrote on Twitter Thursday, referring to the Government of National Accord.
“In #Tripoli #Libya it’s clear that opposition doesn’t come from the people. Those who obstruct do it against the will of the people,” he said.
Al-Sarraj is facing an uphill battle. Both of the rival administrations have so far refused to cede power and it was unclear how his new government would go about establishing its authority.
After arriving on Wednesday with a naval escort along with several members of his cabinet, Al-Sarraj said he would make “reconciliation and the settlement of security and economic crises” his top priorities.
The Tripoli government insisted he leave the capital or “hand himself in.”