Rebel forces under what remains of the Libyan army have marched on the capital Tripoli where fierce fighting raged on Saturday.
The head of the rebel army, Khalifa Hafter on Thursday ordered his troops to advance on the city and clear it of what he called terrorists still holding out in its outskirts, backing the internationally recognized government.
His order was met with strong criticism by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who warned that the advancement of his troops could reignite hostilities with armed militias still holding out in the outskirts of the city.
Hafter insisted that his forces are moving in on ‘terrorist groups’ active in the area and will be unrelenting until the militias are defeated.
Tripoli is the seat of the internationally recognized government in Libya, a country rocked by instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi almost eight years ago.
A barrages of gunfire were heard in the approaches to the Libyan capital as military lorries laden with Hafter’s rolled in the direction of the city.
Witnesses say his forces have met with stiff resistance from armed militias supporting the government based in Tripoli.
No casualties have been reported on Saturday.
The fighting is thought to have been raging in suburbs south of the city with pro-government fighter jets pounding the positions of Hafter’s men who took control of some parts of the southern outskirts of the city including some oil installations in January.
Meanwhile a conference aimed at setting a timeline for elections will still hold, the UN envoy to the conflict-ridden country insisted.
As the fighting was raging on Saturday, UN envoy Ghassan Salame said that the 14-16 April conference can only be postponed if the security situation caused by the renewed fighting aggravates.
Since Hafter’s orders to take the city, the terrified residents of Tripoli have been bracing for the onslaught after stocking up on food earlier this week.
WN/as/APA