Libyan parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha announced over the weekend that he could enter by force in Tripoli, the capital, which is controlled by the Government of National Unity, headed by his rival, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

In response, several militias supporting the latter began to mobilize their units in view of the possibility of a new conflict.

In turn, the Presidential Council, a body that carries out the functions of a head of State, held a meeting with the authorities and military chiefs of the country’s western region to seek a solution to the crisis.

The meeting was attended by Council Chairman Mohammed Al-Manfi and Vice Chairman Abdullah al-Lafi, as well as Dbeibah and top Army, Intelligence and Police commanders from the western regions.

In February, the Parliament appointed Bashagha interim Prime Minister to replace Dbeibah, who said that he would only hand over power to an elected authority.

Libya has been plunged into a spiral of violence since the overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011, following a war supported by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

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