Libyan parliament suspended after attack
Iran Press TV
Sun May 18, 2014 10:6PM GMT
A group led by a retired Libyan general says it has suspended the North African country's parliament after launching an attack against the legislative body.
Speaking on a Libyan television channel on Sunday, General Mokhtar Farnana said that forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar carried out the assault on parliament earlier in the day, asserting that Sunday's attack on Libyan parliament was not a coup.
He further noted that a group led by Haftar had assigned a 60-member constituent's assembly to take over for parliament.
Farnana said Libya's current government would act on an emergency basis.
The latest violence in Tripoli came after deadly fighting in the eastern city of Benghazi on Friday, when Haftar's troops struck two militia bases, setting off clashes that killed at least 79 people.
It was not immediately clear if there was any link between the unrest in Tripoli and the Benghazi clashes.
On Saturday, parliamentary speaker and military commander-in-chief Nuri Abu Sahmain accused Haftar of trying to stage a coup.
Libya's parliament has been paralyzed by divisions among different factions. Many Libyans blame the parliament for their failure to move toward democratic transition since the 2011 popular uprising that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Nearly three years after the fall of Gaddafi, Libya is still grappling with rising insecurity as the country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups.
The former rebels refuse to lay down arms despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.
Thousands of angry Libyan demonstrators have recently taken to the streets in different cities to protest against lack of security across the North African country.
MP/MAM/AS
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