Tripoli government declares state of emergency

Libya’s Islamist-backed government in Tripoli declared a state of emergency on Friday following reports of the arrival of four members of the rival UN-backed government to the capital to prepare for the arrival of prime minister-designate Faiez Serraj and rest of the Council.

The four are deputy prime ministers-designate Ahmed Maetig, Fathi Majberi and Abdelsalam Kajman and Mohamed Ammari, the Minister for Specialised Councils Affairs.

“The state of emergency shall be declared across the country, and the cabinet is in permanent session,” the so-called National Salvation government said in a statement.

Tripoli’s prime minister Khalifa Ghwel said that he has asked security agencies and armed militia “to take all necessary actions to preserve the security of the country by increasing security patrols and checkpoints.

Fayez Serraj, prime minister of the Tunis-based UN-sponsored government and head of the presidential council, said that the new government will move to Tripoli “in a few days”.

However, the new ‘unity’ government has been rejected by both rival authorities, based in Tripoli and Tobruk.

Ghwel’s government said in a statement that a “a government imposed by the outside and without the consensus of Libyans has no place among us”.

The internationally recognized authorities based in Tobruk warned against “imposing the unity government” without prior approval of its House of Representatives.