'Stand with the state', Libya Prime Minister tells armed groups after clashes

Leader of UN-backed government says 'goal is a Libya free of militias'

Protesters call for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli on Saturday. AFP

The Prime Minister of Libya's UN-backed government has told armed groups to "stand with the state" following days of clashes between rival militias and protests calling for his resignation over the violence.

Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said in a televised address on Saturday that armed groups must align themselves with state institutions.

"We will welcome all those who choose to stand with the state. We will sideline those who resort to blackmail and corruption," he said. "Our goal is a Libya free of militias and corruption."

Days of clashes in Tripoli have pitted one armed group aligned with the UN-backed government in the capital against groups the administration has been seeking to dismantle.

Libya is split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Mr Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east controlled by the family of military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

The country has remained divided since a 2011 Nato-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.

The recent fighting has killed at least eight people, according to the UN, but the Libyan authorities have yet to release an official number.

Damaged cars after the clashes in Tripoli. EPA

The latest clashes were triggered by the killing of Abdelghani Al Kikli – known as Ghaniwa – the head of the Support and Stability Apparatus, an armed faction in Tripoli.

He was allegedly killed by the 444 Brigade, a militia aligned with Mr Dbeibah. A second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against another group, the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli.

A string of executive orders previously sought to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, but not the 444 Brigade.

Mr Dbeibah's TV address on Saturday mainly concerned Radaa.

"Trying to sow discord between us and Souq Al Joumaa [a Radaa stronghold] is bound to fail," Mr Dbeibah said.

But he acknowledged a "shared mistake" when speaking of the "clashes in the heart of Tripoli in neighbourhoods full of civilians".

He said certain militias "had grown excessively, to the point of controlling the entire political, financial, economic, and even social landscape".

"For the first time, I can tell you that you can hope to get rid of the militias," he said.

Tripoli residents have taken to the streets for two consecutive days, demanding Mr Dbeibah's resignation after the fighting.

About 500 people protested on Saturday, while on Friday thousands gathered at Martyrs' Square in central Tripoli before marching on the premier's office.

The Friday rally followed the shooting of a police officer by unknown attackers while he was "securing" Mr Dbeibah's office, according to the government. The officer died.

"The protests are annoying, but I've put up with them. I know some of them are real, but a lot of them are paid," Mr Dbeibah said.

Local media reported on Friday that six ministers and deputy ministers from Mr Dbeibah's cabinet had resigned, but only two confirmed their departure. Several municipal councils in western Tripoli have voiced support for the street protests.

The Prime Minister met tribal elders in the capital on Saturday and said his government was "trying to respond quickly" to recent developments.

He urged the tribal leaders to support the "state's efforts" to prevent a "return to chaos and the rule of armed groups".

He also met a delegation from Misurata, his hometown, about 200 kilometres east of Tripoli. The government said the delegation "expressed firm and unwavering support" for efforts to "end the control of armed groups and strengthen state authority".