Libya's Tripoli premier calls on armed groups to align with state
TRIPOLI: Libya's UN-backed premier Saturday called on armed groups to align themselves with 'state institutions' after days of deadly clashes in Tripoli and protests demanding his resignation.
'We will welcome all those who choose to stand with the state,' said Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah in a televised address. 'We will sideline those who resort to blackmail and corruption. Our goal is a Libya free of militias and corruption.'
Days of clashes in the capital have pitted an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government against groups it has been seeking to dismantle. Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east controlled by the family of military strongman Khalifa Haftar. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The recent fights have killed at least eight people, said the UN, while the authorities have yet to release an official tally.
The clashes had been triggered by the killing of Abdelghani Al-Kikli, head of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA) faction, by the Dbeibah-aligned 444 Brigade. A second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against another group, the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli and several key state institutions.
And a string of executive orders had sought to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, excluding the 444 Brigade. Dbeibah's latest address mainly concerned Radaa, a group controlling parts of eastern Tripoli.
'Trying to sow discord between us and Souq al-Joumaa (a Radaa stronghold) is bound to fail,' Dbeibah said, acknowledging 'a shared mistake' when speaking of the 'clashes in the heart of Tripoli in neighborhoods full of civilians'. He said certain militias 'had grown excessively, to the point of controlling the entire political, financial, economic, and even social landscape'. He said an SSA associate 'took control of six banks, and those who dared to oppose him disappeared', citing abuses by among others Kikli's nephew, who 'coldly executed 10 people recently'.
Another SSA associate, Ousama Al Masri Nejim, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for acts of torture and the rape of a young girl, Dbeibah noted. 'For the first time, I can tell you that you can hope to get rid of the militias,' Dbeibah said, vowing to remove 'those who prioritize blackmail and corruption'.
Yet Tripoli residents have taken to the streets for two consecutive days, demanding Dbeibah's resignation after the deadly fighting. Some 500 people protested on Saturday after thousands of other anti-government demonstrators had gathered at Martyrs' Square in central Tripoli on Friday before marching on the premier's office.
The Friday rally had been followed by one police officer being shot dead by unknown attackers when he was 'targeted while securing' Dbeibah's office, according to the government.
Tripoli saw signs of normalcy on Friday, with flights resuming, shops reopening and people returning to work. But despite that, the capital's political situation remained volatile.
Local media reported late Friday that six ministers and deputy ministers from Dbeibah's cabinet had resigned. Only two confirmed their departure.
Several municipal councils in western Tripoli voiced support for the protests demanding that Dbeibah quit. Khaled Al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in the capital, said he had begun talks with the eastern-based parliament to 'choose a national figure to form a new government'.
Dbeibah, meanwhile, met tribal elders in the capital on Saturday and said his government was 'trying to respond quickly' to the recent developments in the city. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
7 hours ago
- Arab Times
Iran says at least 71 killed in Israel's attack on Tehran's notorious Evin prison
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 29, (AP): At least 71 people were killed in Israel's attack on Tehran's Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held, Iran's judiciary said on Sunday. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office's official Mizan news agency website that those killed on Monday included staff, soldiers, prisoners, and members of visiting families. It was not possible to independently verify the claim. The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about the safety of the inmates. It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defense Ministry said it was attacking "regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' The news of the prison attack was quickly overshadowed by an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Qatar later that same day, which caused no casualties, and the announcement of the ceasefire. Jahangir did not break down the casualty figures but said the attack had hit the prison's infirmary, engineering building, judicial affairs, and visitation hall, where visiting family members were killed and injured. On the day of the attack, New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of the Iranian regime's repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets. At the same time, the group said Iran was legally obligated to protect the prisoners held in Evin, and slammed authorities in Tehran for their "failure to evacuate, provide medical assistance or inform families' following the attack. Jahangir said some of those injured were treated on site, while others were sent to hospitals. Iran had not previously announced any death figures, though on Saturday confirmed that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar - whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups - had been killed in the attack. He was one of about 60 people for whom a massive public funeral procession was held on Saturday in Tehran, and he was to be buried at a shrine in Qom on Sunday. Israel attacked Iran on June 13 in a bid to destroy the country's nuclear program. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.
Kuwait Times
20 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait hosts UN event urging protection for aid workers in Gaza
Experts warn of escalating attacks on workers in Gaza, call for global efforts to deliver critical assistance GENEVA: Kuwait's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva held a high-level event Thursday spotlighting the urgent need to protect humanitarian workers and ensure aid delivery in conflict zones, especially Gaza. The event, titled 'Humanitarian Access and Protection of Humanitarian Workers: A Pillar for Advancing Human Rights in Conflicts', was part of the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council. It drew broad participation from diplomats, UN officials, humanitarian experts, and NGO representatives. Kuwait's Ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Nasser Al-Hain, said the event reflects Kuwait's 'deep-rooted humanitarian approach and commitment to supporting multilateral humanitarian work.' 'Protecting humanitarian workers and ensuring aid reaches those in need are ethical and legal priorities the international community must uphold,' Al-Hain said in a statement to KUNA. He emphasized Kuwait's role as a hub for humanitarian work and its belief in diplomacy as a tool for peace and justice. Gaza at the center Speakers repeatedly highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the escalating dangers facing aid workers. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri warned of the growing use of starvation as a weapon of war. 'Starvation is now a tool to humiliate civilians and forcibly displace them by destroying food systems, farms, warehouses, and water infrastructure,' he said. He called for multinational peacekeeping forces to escort aid convoys under the UN General Assembly's Uniting for Peace mechanism. Patrick Duplat, Humanitarian Access Advisor at OCHA, expressed alarm over what he described as the 'militarization of humanitarian aid,' particularly in Gaza. 'Current mechanisms for delivering aid are military-led, obstructing humanitarian work and violating core humanitarian principles,' he said, urging member states to reassess how they fund humanitarian efforts. Grave toll Francesco Motta, Head of the Asia, Middle East and North Africa Branch at the UN Human Rights Office, described a 'moral and legal collapse in conflict zones,' citing systematic targeting of humanitarian workers. Since October 7, 2023, at least 467 aid workers have been killed by Zionist entity forces, including 317 staff from UNRWA, 47 from the Palestinian Red Crescent, and 97 from NGOs, he said. He added that 1,581 health workers, including women and civil defense members, have also been killed. 'No hospital in Gaza is operating fully anymore,' Motta warned, noting that a million people could soon face Phase 4 food insecurity, with nearly half a million on the brink of famine. He added that attacks on health workers were rising in the West Bank as well, with ambulances blocked and specialized medical care denied. Call for accountability Dr Altaf Musani, WHO's Director of Health Emergency Interventions, said over 8,630 attacks on health facilities and personnel have been recorded globally since 2018, resulting in 4,000 deaths and 6,000 injuries. He said 2025 has seen the highest number yet, with 1,528 attacks in Gaza and the West Bank alone. International law expert Marco Sassòli stressed that arbitrary denial of humanitarian aid is a violation of international humanitarian law. 'Starvation and discrimination are two sides of the same unlawful coin,' he told KUNA. He also reminded that humanitarian workers are civilians and must not be targeted, pointing to UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2023), which calls for national and international accountability mechanisms. — KUNA
Kuwait Times
20 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Bangladesh pushes solar to tackle energy woes
DHAKA: This aerial photograph taken on June 27, 2025 shows solar panels installed on the rooftops of the buildings in Dhaka. -- AFP DHAKA: Bangladesh's caretaker leader has ordered all government institutions including ministry buildings and schools to install solar panels to ease chronic power problems in a country regularly hit by deadly heatwaves. The South Asian nation of 170 million people has set itself a target of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2030 -- a four-fold increase -- and rising to 30 percent by 2040, the government said in a statement. 'Bangladesh is lagging far behind its neighboring countries', the statement issued by the office of interim leader Muhammad Yunus read. 'Only 5.6 percent of our total requirement is currently met from renewable sources,' it added, noting that in neighboring India, it is 24 percent and in Sri Lanka, nearly 40 percent. The government's rooftop solar program will see all government offices, schools, colleges and hospitals installed with panels immediately, the statement issued late Thursday said. The micro-finance pioneer said the panels would be installed and operated by private sector companies, unlike the largely failed push by since-ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to install panels by using government power agencies. 'The private sector will handle overall maintenance and keep the systems operational for their own business interests', the statement said. 'The government will only provide them with rooftop access'. The government has also initiated tender processes for 55 solar power plants with a total 5,238 megawatts capacity. Bangladesh relies heavily on importing cross-border power from neighboring India, as well from Nepal, especially when demand soars during the blistering heat when consumers rely on energy-hungry air conditioners to keep cool. Dhaka also began construction of the Russia-backed nuclear plant at Rooppur in 2017. The much-delayed 2,400-megawatt project will be Bangladesh's largest power station by generating capacity once fully operational. –AFP
