Militias vow to stop move on Tripoli

MILITIAS in western Libya vowed yesterday to confront a rival army commander’s attempt to seize the capital, Tripoli, raising fears of renewed civil war in the oil-rich nation as the UN chief shuttled between the two sides, seeking to avert a major confrontation.

The escalation comes after forces of Khalifa Hifter, who runs the self-styled Libya National Army that is based in the country’s east, pushed westward, bringing them closer to rival militias, which control Tripoli.

A showdown between Hifter’s army and the militias could plunge Libya into another spasm of violence, possibly the worst since the 2011 civil war that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

It would also put at risk upcoming peace talks between Libyan rivals brokered by the UN and aimed at drawing a roadmap for new elections. Those talks are due April 14-16.

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency closed-door meeting yesterday at Britain’s request to discuss the unfolding developments.

Hifter’s troops on Thursday captured the town of Gharyan, around 50km south of Tripoli without a fight, putting them closer to the militias than ever before.

He then ordered his forces to march on the capital, saying in an audio recording posted online: “We are coming Tripoli, we are coming.”

He also urged his forces to enter the city peacefully and only raise their weapons “in the face of those who seek injustice and prefer confrontation and fighting”.

Hifter’s spokesperson Ahmed al-mesmari said the army’s next stop would be the town of al-aziziya, considered the gates to Tripoli.

In response, the militias from the western cities of Zawiya and Misarata, which control Tripoli, posted on social media yesterday that they’re mobilising to confront Hifter. “We are the revolutionaries and the elders… we declare we are on full mobilization and war,” they said. | ANA