Fresh clashes erupted Libyan capital after failed coup

• Heavy gunfire and explosions ricocheted over various districts of Tripoli on Friday.
• There were no immediate reports of deaths or a motivation for the fighting.
• Libya has been beset by political infighting since longtime tyrant Muammar Qaddafi was deposed in 2011.

TRIPOLI: As per local media, clashes between armed factions erupted in Libyan capital on Friday night, as the country recovers from a failed coup attempt three weeks ago.

According to an France news agency correspondent, heavy gunfire and explosions ricocheted over various districts of Tripoli on Friday, as photos broadcast by local media showed citizens fleeing heavily populated areas.

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There were no immediate reports of deaths or a motivation for the fighting, but it is the latest act of violence in the country as two opposing prime ministers jockey for power.

Libyan oil-rich country has been beset by political infighting since longtime tyrant Muammar Qaddafi was deposed in a 2011 rebellion.

Last month, Fathi Bashagha, a politician, sought to seize power by force, resulting in pre-dawn skirmishes between armed groups supporting him and those supporting interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

Dbeibah was nominated to supervise a transition to elections scheduled for December 2021 as part of a tumultuous UN-led peace process early last year, but the poll was postponed indefinitely.

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Dbeibah, on the other hand, has stated that he will only hand over power to an elected administration.