In Benghazi, clashes have erupted amidst a complete communications blackout, according to reports from Reuters. The blackout, which has persisted since Friday, has been attributed to a damaged cable by local authorities. However, the United Nations Libya mission has suggested that it coincides with armed confrontations between the main military force and a smaller faction.
Benghazi is under the control of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), a military coalition that holds sway over eastern Libya and has shown little tolerance for internal opposition.
The U.N. Libya mission expressed concern about both the clashes and the disruption of communication in a social media post on Monday.
Local Libyan media outlets have reported that the LNA is engaged in combat with an armed group associated with Mahdi al-Barghathi, who previously led a brigade fighting alongside Haftar’s forces before aligning with a Tripoli government that Haftar refused to recognize.
As of now, the LNA has not issued a statement, and Reuters has been unable to reach both the LNA and Benghazi residents for comments due to the ongoing communications blackout.
A leader of the Barghatha clan, which is part of the influential Awaqir tribe in eastern Libya, mentioned efforts to mediate reconciliation between Haftar and Barghathi. However, Sheikh Abdulsalam Abdulati al-Barghathi, the tribal leader, expressed concerns about Barghathi’s entry into Benghazi in a convoy, considering it a security breach.
According to Mohammed Bderi, a spokesperson for Libya’s state telecommunications company in Tripoli, the communications blackout resulted from damage to the fiber-optic cable. Repair work is expected to take some time.
Libya has experienced persistent unrest since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, and it has been divided into warring eastern and western factions since 2014. Haftar’s attempt to seize Tripoli and overthrow the government in 2019 was thwarted in 2020.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, based in Tripoli, commented on the situation on Monday, describing Benghazi as witnessing “exceptional events.” He mentioned armed confrontations occurring in civilian districts and the deliberate cutting off of communications.
Eastern factions have often contrasted what they perceive as security and stability in Benghazi and the eastern regions with the periodic outbreaks of conflict in Tripoli and the western parts of the country among rival armed groups.
Adapted from Reuters Libya newsroom