Libya’s fresh clashes may push it back to violent era

• Sulaiman
• . June 2, 2022
• . Update: June 2, 2022 10:45 pm
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Libya–Libya is currently struggling under fresh round of clashes amid continuing rivalry between the two competing governments, thereby steering the country towards political disappointment with lost hopes of any stability soon.

Déjà vu for many Libyans

The fresh clashes were a feeling of déjà vu for many people as they erupted in Tripoli last month. Street fighting, vulnerable people trying to duck out the aggressive gunfire and people hiding in their homes. A video circulating on social media shows a man shouting “Enough war, we want our young generation!” This very well weighs down the sentiment of all people of Libya who are too tired of years long violence and want order and peace in the country with some political stability. Though the violence erupted after a year of somewhat calm, the clashes highlighted fragile state of Libya.

After a decade of civil war, the two rival governments in east and west of Libya are again competing for power in Tripoli. The country has been in a state of chaos and unrest since 2011 when NATO backed uprising led to toppling and killing of long time autocratic leader Muammar Gadhafi.

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Last year in December the country was supposed to have parliamentary elections as the country was led by UN brokered interim government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. But lack of clarity on rules of polls led to suspended elections, a big disappointment for UN and the West that was hoping for some calm restoration in the country post elections.

Since then, as the two rival countries continue to take command in Tripoli, Dbeibah has refused to step down and give charge to a government only after proper elections are held in the country. Claudia Gazzini, a Libya expert at the International Crisis Group said, “I don’t think they will be able to hold elections this year.”

Meanwhile, as the violence gears up in country, people have come to realize how fragile the relative peace keeping operation in country for past one year has been. “Chaos and conflict are their feeding ground,” Mohammed Abu Salim, a civil servant from Tripoli said referring to Libya’s rival factions. “If you really believe that those people will allow free and fair elections, then you are delusional.”