The bloody confrontation between the Zintan Qaaqaa and Sawaiq militia on one hand, and the 17 February Revolutionaries Libya Shield on the other hand, continued throughout last week, with an intensification of clashes over the weekend. In Tripoli, the Misrata Central Shield deployed additional forces and weapons with a view to ousting the Zintan militia out of Tripoli International Airport, which is still under their control. In Benghazi, the picture is similar; the clashes continued between Hafter’s loyalists and the 17 February brigade. Benghazi airport was closed and all the districts around it plunged in darkness following the shelling of a power station in the area. Politically, observers think a peaceful solution to the crisis is unlikely, and all indications point towards escalation. The newly elected parliament is unlikely to convene this week as planned given the conditions. Two former members of the GNC have been kidnapped and the Zintan Sawaiq militia claimed responsibility for kidnapping Suleiman Zoubi and posted his picture on their Facebook page and news outlets close to Hafter and Mahmoud Jibril. All this escalation is happening against the backdrop of fierce media propaganda over the satellite TV channels of both camps.
http://www.alwasat.ly/ar/news/libya/28053/
