Libya’s leaders in the new unity govt have arrived in Tripoli (capital) via a boat as they try to take charge.
Tripoli’s airspace has on recent days been on an intermittent closure so as to bar the Presidency Council, whose HQ is in Tunisia, from arriving by air.
Libya’s UN envoy has asked that the handover be properly done and in a peaceful manner.
However, hardliners in the coalition are not for the deal brokered by the UN in an attempt to cool down a country that has been split by war for 5 years.
In an address that was televised, the head of Tripoli authorities, Khalifa Ghweil, said that the politicians are interlopers and therefore not welcome in Libya.
He urged “the illegitimate outsiders to surrender and be safe in our custody or to return to where they came from”.
Late on Wednesday, journalist from a TV channel that supports the Tripoli authorities said that gunmen stormed into their offices taking them off air. It is not clear to whom they referred as gunmen.
Ever since the long-serving Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, Libya has been in conflicts.
From 2014 it has had two competing administrations, one in Tripoli backed by powerful militias and the other about 1,000km (620 miles) away in the port city of Tobruk.
When the politicians arrived at the navy base, one could see militias securing major parts of the capital. Late in the evening, gunfire from rival groups could be heard. Their plan is yet to be known but things are tense, according to BBC’s reporter.
Many of the brigades in western Libya have fallen in line behind the Presidency Council. However, the reality is that these are the very same militias who led and facilitated the existence of the rival authorities in Tripoli since 2014.
Their role means that their status remains unchanged since the new govt will still be under their mercy.
Militia will shift their allegiances in an attempt to survive.
The so-called Islamic State has managed to thrive in the tense political environment in Libya. The IS has carried out attacks on oil installations and cities.
