Hassan Al-Warfalli (Benghazi)
A state of cautious calm prevails in the city of Zawiya in western Libya after violent clashes between armed militias, in which heavy and medium weapons were used, leading to the killing of a number of civilians, according to what a Libyan source confirmed to Al-Ittihad.
The Libyan source explained that the clashes that broke out in some areas of the city of Zawiya sparked panic and fear in the hearts of residents, indicating that there were efforts to calm the situation and ceasefire between the armed formations.
The source indicated that the clashes continued until dawn yesterday, between the militias against the backdrop of the struggle for influence in the city that has been ongoing for a long time, indicating that there is a state of tension and anger among the city’s residents.
The city of Zawiya witnesses from time to time similar clashes between militias deployed in a number of neighborhoods and areas of the city, the last of which was last May 18, resulting in one dead person and 22 wounded, as the Ambulance and Emergency Service announced at the time.
In the same context, Mustafa Al-Triki, a member of the Libyan State Council from Zawiya, confirmed that extrajudicial killings have become commonplace and are not punishable by law, pointing out that social customary law is what regulates people’s coexistence with each other in Zawiya.
In eastern Libya, the House of Representatives was surprised by the lack of understanding of the Libyan situation among some international parties that focus only on their interests, noting that the assignment of 8 UN envoys to Libya did not result in any road map to get the country out of its crisis, despite Parliament’s approval of the electoral laws according to the outcomes of “ 6+6”, which stipulated the formation of a new government to supervise the presidential and parliamentary elections within 240 days of granting it confidence.
This came in a statement commenting on the briefing of the Deputy UN Envoy to Libya, Stephanie Khoury.
In addition, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued an urgent appeal to Libyan leaders to express the necessary political will to hold comprehensive, transparent and credible national elections as soon as possible, calling on them to participate in good faith and in a spirit of compromise to ensure the success of the political process in the country.
In his latest report on the situation in Libya, Guterres expressed his deep concern about the continued sporadic clashes between armed groups in Libya, calling on all security agencies to actively participate in the efforts aimed at unifying the security institutions in the country.
The Secretary-General also condemned violations across the country, expressing alarm at repeated reports of extrajudicial killings, as well as continued cases of enforced disappearance, stressing that comprehensive national reconciliation with the participation of all is a fundamental pillar of lasting peace and stability throughout Libya.
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