You have commented 358 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Africa North
Children flee as armed groups in Libyan capital clash, between one and 12 23 toes up
2022-08-28




On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that Ottoman Turkish commanders ordered Syrian mercenaries stationed in Libya not to engage in the festivities taking place in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
According to reliable sources, the SOHR added that the mercenaries have not yet engaged in the fighting, in compliance with the orders of their commanders, and the Ottoman Turkish authorities.

At least one person was killed and five others maimed during the festivities, a health official said.

Footage circulated online showed houses and vehicles damaged from the fighting.

The Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade (TRB) affiliated with the commander Haitham al-Tajouri clashed with the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA) affiliated with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli (Gheniwa).

According to witnesses, the TRB managed to defeat SSA forces, take control of the internal security headquarters on al-Jumhuriya Street, seize dozens of cars, and detain three people.
And a good time was had by all, except the dead guys and some of the maimed.
Fighting broke out in various districts of Tripoli between groups armed with both heavy and light weapons. Libya’s two rival governments yet again vie for power in the oil-rich, but impoverished North African country.

Gunshots and explosions rang through the darkened streets of Tripoli, according to media reports.

The SOHR confirmed that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
 has failed to pay the salaries of the Syrian mercenaries being stationed in Libya’s Yarmouk camp for five consecutive months.

In a statement, the SOHR said that this comes amid calls by those mercenaries to stage protests over their overdue salaries.

According to reliable sources, SOHR claims that "fear has spread among members of the Syrian National Army, who are stationed inside the Yarmouk camp, located in areas controlled by the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU). This is against the backdrop of the military operations launched by Turkey in its ’Euphrates Shield’ areas of northern Syria, which has been held by pro-Ottoman Turkish Syrian opposition fighters since 2016."

The Observatory recently reported that the Yarmouk camp is witnessing escalating disputes between the mercenaries. This is due to the fact that they are unable to visit Syria, and that the mercenary exchanges have stopped.

Many of the mercenaries have been stationed in Libya for two years, without having returned under leave or exchanged to Syrian territory.

The SOHR sources confirmed that militia leaders "continued to steal parts of their salaries." In addition, the fighters are not being provided with food allowances.

Two mercenaries reportedly fled to neighbouring Algeria, in a bid to travel onwards to Europe. Ottoman Turkish intelligence reportedly arrested the brother of one of the men, to pressure him to return to Libya.

Last month, Ottoman Turkish forces in Libya informed the Syrian mercenaries of the cessation of back-and-forth transfer operations until the end of 2022. They added that aircrafts will only be sent when necessary.

On 9 May, SOHR noted that preparations were underway in the northern Aleppo countryside, to send a new group of mercenaries to Libya. The group comprised of nearly 75 fighters.
Deutsche Welle adds:
Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya's capital Tripoli between militias backed by its two rival administrations.

At least 23 people were killed, including 17 civilian, and 140 more wounded, the Health Ministry said.

Six hospitals were hit and ambulances were unable to reach areas affected by the fighting.

The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years

WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE FIGHTING?
The clashes involved groups that back the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, against supporters of former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, backed by the House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk.

The UN mission in Libya said the fighting involved "indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods” of Tripoli.

It came a month after a bout of fighting shook the relative peace in the Libyan capital, killing several civilians.

The two factions have repeatedly mobilized in Tripoli in recent weeks. This week, Dbeibah-linked factions paraded around Tripoli.

A GNU statement blamed Saturday's clashes on pro-Bashagha forces, saying they had fired on a convoy in Tripoli. Other pro-Bashagha units had amassed outside Libya's capital, according to the statement.

Bashagha's administration did not directly respond to the accusation.

Bashagha tried to enter Tripoli in May, and was then driven out following hours of fighting.

RIVAL ADMINISTRATIONS VIE FOR POWER
The fighting follows rising tensions between the rival administrations.

Bashagha, who is backed by the Tobruk-based parliament, says the Dbeibah-run GNU's mandate has expired. Bashagha was appointed in February by the parliament, which was elected in 2014. He has been unable to impose authority in Tripoli.

Dbeibah was appointed by a UN-backed commission last year on an interim basis. He had vowed to cede his position to a democratically elected leader, but the elections he had pledged to hold last December failed to materialize.
Unexpectedly. Perhaps it would be better if the UN Security Council kept its pointy nose out of things for a while, since much of the fighting has been between the various governments they’ve appointed since President Obama and his little friends got rid of the little colonel Moammar Kadaffy.
The GNU said negotiations for the calling of new elections had been underway, but Bashagha "walked out at the last moment."

Meanwhile, Bashagha's administration says it has never rejected talks with Dbeibah.

Libya has been marked by sometimes violent power struggles between different factions since the 2011 overthrow of strongman Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled the North African country for 42 years.
Related:
Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade: 2021-12-30 Ten Years Later. Militias Still Control Libya
Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade: 2019-01-18 Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade: Weak ceasefire agreement caused renewed clashes
Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade: 2017-12-26 Saadi Qaddafi has not disappeared says Assour
Related:
Stabilization Support Apparatus: 2022-05-07 Libyan Militia Rejects Human Rights Abuse Accusations
Posted by:Fred

#3  Turkey has failed to pay the salaries of the Syrian mercenaries... for five consecutive months.


This is such a rookie mistake. If you hire an army, Prudence suggests you pay them, lest they decide to go work for themselves. Listen to Dear Prudence, Erdy!

Posted by: SteveS   2022-08-28 20:07  

#2  Amok highlighting fixed. Sorry about that.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-08-28 19:51  

#1  I see the UN demanding them not to start fighting worked.
Posted by: Chris   2022-08-28 09:38  

00:00