Protest erupts in Libya's Tripoli, senior officials resign

Tripoli [Libya], May 17: A massive protest against the Government of National Unity (GNU) erupted here on Friday amid the resignation of several senior government officials, local media reported.
Local TV Alwasat reported that the protesters demand the GNU headed by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah to step down, following the recent violent clashes in Tripoli.
According to the report, the GNU's senior officials, including deputy prime minister, and ministers of local governance, trade and industry, higher education, housing, and water resources, have officially announced their resignation. But the GNU denied the resignation, saying all senior government officials are "working normally."
The GNU called for peaceful protests "with complete freedom within legal frameworks and with respect for state institutions," said the report.
Fighting erupted earlier this week after Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, a senior commander in the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) -- a powerful armed group aligned with the Presidency Council -- was killed in a facility controlled by the 444 Brigade, a militia loyal to Dbeibah.
Security sources said the killing triggered fierce retaliatory clashes between the SSA and the 444 Brigade, spreading into central and residential districts and leaving at least six people dead until a ceasefire was announced on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the GNU said the security situation in the capital had returned to stability.
Libya has remained fractured since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country is split between rival administrations: the UN-recognized GNU in Tripoli and an eastern-based government backed by the Libyan National Army under commander Khalifa Haftar.
Within Tripoli and other areas under GNU control, armed factions continue to compete for influence, often violently, despite repeated calls for disarmament and unification of security institutions.
Source: Xinhua