Libya’s toothless outgoing government admitted Monday from its safe refuge in the east of the country that it has in effect lost control of Tripoli to armed militias.
The interim government led by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani, which resigned last week, said armed groups, mostly Islamist militias, were in control of ministries and blocking access to government workers.
“Ministry and state offices in Tripoli have been occupied by armed militias who are preventing government workers from entering and are threatening their superiors,” the government said in a statement
It said the interim government was in contact with officials and “trying to ensure the continuity of services from afar”.
Libya has been sliding into chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed three years ago, with interim authorities confronting powerful militias which fought to oust the veteran dictator.
The government announced last week it had tendered its resignation to parliament, days after a rival Islamist administration was created.
The parliament, which was elected in June, and the government are operating out of eastern Libya for security reasons.
The airport
A rival body, the General National Congress, has named pro-Islamist figure Omar al-Hassi to form a “salvation government”.
The elected parliament voted on Monday to task Mr Thani with forming a streamlined new government, the official news agency Lana reported.
He was named to form an 18-member team, down from the outgoing lineup’s number of around 30, it said, adding that seven of the new ministers would put together a crisis cabinet.
Interim authorities have been steadily losing ground to the militias and the Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) mainly Islamist alliance, which seized Tripoli airport on August 22 after weeks of fierce fighting with nationalist rivals.
On Sunday, Islamist militiamen moved into the US embassy compound in Tripoli that was evacuated in late July, with videos showing cheering men diving from an upstairs balcony into the facility’s swimming pool.
Fajr Libya members said they had gone in to secure the complex of several villas in southern Tripoli, not far from the airport, to prevent it from being looted.
NMG
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