Islamic State Fights Rival Group and Eastern Forces in Libya

The United Nations brought the main warring factions together in Geneva this week but the diplomacy has been overtaken by fighting between groups not present at the negotiation table.

“The parties underscored their determination to conclude the dialogue process as soon as possible, with a target date within the coming three weeks”, a UNSMIL statement said. Benghazi, the crucible of the Libyan revolution and where the spirit of optimism and change seemed to herald a new start for Libya, has become a theatre of street fighting and bombardments.

The clashes have killed between 13 and 49 people, with officials giving different casualty counts.

ISIL jihadists in Sirte, Libya.

“Sirte has been in a real state of war since last Tuesday”, a local official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.

In the past few days, Islamic State has crushed a revolt by a Salafist Muslim group and armed residents trying to break its grip on the city.

Meanwhile, pictures posted on social media also showed eastern government forces, backed up by armed residents, firing artillery barrages at Islamic State positions on the outskirts of the eastern city of Derna.

Fighting raged until early on Friday before dying down when ISIS took back a district which the Salafists and armed residents had tried to seize, residents said.

Both governments are also battling militants in different parts of Libya. Around 37 people have been killed in the past two days, residents said. In February they put on a show of strength ahead of a resumption of UN-brokered peace talks. It has two parliaments and two governments vying for power, one based in Tripoli and one in Tobruk in the east. Only the Tobruk-based government is recognised by the global community.