Clashes have intensified between armed groups in a city in northwestern Libya, according to Libyan Al-Masaar TV. The television reported on its account on the platform X that the clashes erupted after two individuals were injured from the Al-Harsha area in the city, without specifying the identities of these groups. The TV station quoted the ambulance and emergency service warning road users on the coastal road near Zawiya to exercise caution due to the ongoing clashes there. Osama Ali, the spokesman for the ambulance and emergency service, called on the Ministry of Interior of the National Unity Government to intervene to stop the clashes in Zawiya and advised those wanting to use the coastal road to take alternative routes.
Dozens have been killed and injured due to clashes between armed militias. The city of Zawiya, which is teeming with armed groups, frequently witnesses repetitive clashes. Last month, similar confrontations occurred between the "Abu Ras" militia and the "Qasab" militia, which are among the largest militias controlling the city.
This military tension serves as live evidence of the potential escalation of armed conflicts between rival factions, amid the ongoing political stalemate and the failure to reach a solution to end the country's division. It also reflects the lack of control over various security apparatuses and armed groups in the west of the country.
Such security chaos threatens to undermine ongoing efforts to create a conducive security environment for conducting elections, highlighting the urgent need to establish unified military and security institutions in the country. Furthermore, Libyan leaders have yet to reach an understanding that would lead to elections and establish legitimate authority due to disputes over the roadmap to resolution and the fundamental constitutional rules governing the electoral process and presidential candidature requirements, which stem from governmental and administrative divisions and the ongoing struggle for power and resources.
