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Militia in western Libya fought on Friday under the command of rival army commander Khalifa Haftar, capturing 100 of his soldiers and air strikes on one of his positions the following day. the statement of an offensive aimed at seizing Tripoli, capital of the country.
The violence took place when the UN chief ended his visit on Friday with the aim of avoiding further conflict. He said he left the "broken heart and deep concern".
The escalation comes after the forces commanded by Haftar, at the head of the so-called Libyan national army based in the east of the country, have pushed back to the west. He brought his troops closer to Tripoli, controlled by the Presidential Council and the National Accord Government, as well as militia support.
A well-informed UN diplomat said Friday that Haftar's forces would be on the outskirts of Tripoli. The same is true of militias in the western city of Misrata, which now control everything from the eastern borders of the capital to the western Libyan border, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. because he was not allowed to speak in public.
A confrontation between Haftar's army and the militia could plunge Libya into another spasm of violence, perhaps the worst since the 2011 civil war that toppled and then killed the long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
It would also jeopardize future peace talks between rivals negotiated by the UN and aimed at establishing a road map for new elections. These discussions are scheduled for April 14-16.
& # 39; We arrive in Tripoli, we arrive & # 39;
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in camera on Friday at the request of Britain and called on Haftar forces to stop all military movements. He also urged all Libyan forces to "defuse and stop their military activities".
After a briefing by the UN envoy for Libya, Ghbadan Salame, the council said that there could be no military solution to the conflict. Council members "called on all parties to resume the dialogue and honor their commitments to engage constructively in the United Nations political process".
Haftar's troops on Thursday captured the city of Gharyan, about 50 km south of Tripoli, without fighting, which brings them closer than ever to the militia.
Haftar then ordered his forces to march on the capital, declaring in an audio recording posted online: "We are coming to Tripoli, we are coming". He also urged his forces to enter the city peacefully and to lift arms "only against those who seek injustice and prefer confrontation and fighting."
The march, however, seemed to have faced a decline on Friday.
The militias of the western cities of Zawiya and Misrata, which control Tripoli, have said to be mobilized to confront Haftar.
"We are the revolutionaries and the elders (…) we declare that we are in full mobilization and at war," they said in a video statement posted online.
A group of Allied militias called the Tripoli Joint Protection Force based in the Libyan capital region announced that it would also be deployed to repel the Hifter offensive.
More than 100 Haftar soldiers were captured by Zawiya militias, said army spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari. He said that the commander of the soldiers was the subject of an investigation.
The anti-Haftar media published on social media images of what they described as Zawiya militiamen capturing dozens of soldiers and Hifter armored vehicles carrying stickers bearing the inscription "106th Battalion ". The unit is known to be commanded by Haftar's son, Khaled. It is one of the largest units deployed by Haftar to walk on Tripoli.
& # 39; I'm leaving Libya has a heavy heart and deep anxiety & # 39;
In addition, the Misrata militia launched an airstrike targeting Haftar's position at the foot of the Nafusa mountains, he said. He did not specify the number of victims.
In Tripoli, council member Mohammed al-Ammari said from the city center that Libya would not become a "hostage in the hands of a military dictator".
There have been conflicting reports during the day on the extent and exact location of Haftar fighters in areas such as Souk al-Khamis.
Clashes erupted at night in Qasr Bani Ghashir district (west), near the Tripoli International Airport, which was destroyed in 2014. Former lawmaker Abdel-Raouf al-Manaei said that the forces fighting under the national agreement government will not allow "a replica of the el-Sissi military regime in Libya", referring to the authoritarian Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who is an army chief who became president .
The resumption of fighting took place a day after the arrival of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his first visit to Libya as UN chief. On Friday, Guterres went to the eastern region, the seat of the rival government and parliament with which Hifter is aligned.
Guterres met with Aguila Saleh, chairman of the East-based parliament, according to spokesman Abdullah Ablahig.
"I leave Libya with a heavy heart and deep concern," he told reporters shortly after his meeting with Haftar.
"I still hope, if possible, to avoid armed clashes around Tripoli," he said. "The United Nations remains available to facilitate any political solution."
Since the dismissal of Gaddafi, Libya has been divided between rival governments in the east and west and a group of militia fighting for power and oil fields. Haftar recently seized much of southern Libya without a fight.
Several governments and organizations have called for de-escalation, including those known to be Haftar's main supporters, such as France and the United Arab Emirates, without specifically mentioning the commander.
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