Civilians in crossfire as shifting alliances spark Libya violence

Fighting in Tripoli and Misrata has left at least 17 dead over the last week, many of them civilians.

Fathi Bashagha, one of Libya’s two rival prime ministers, is from Misrata – as is his rival, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, whose internationally recognised government sits in Tripoli.

But Bashagha has largely stayed away since being appointed by the country’s eastern-based parliament, because Misrata has long been seen as a stronghold of support for the Dbeibah government and opposition to General Khalifa Haftar, the eastern-based militia leader who has backed the parliament.