Violence rages as new govt. sails to Libya

Libya hunkers down in fear as clashes erupt after the head of a UN-backed government arrives in the capital by sea to set up a temporary seat of power in a naval base. 

Fayez Seraj, the new government's prime minister, arrived Wednesday from Tunisia at Tripoli's Abusita naval base amid threats from competing factions, which prevented him from arriving by air.

Western nations are promoting the new regime as the best hope for ending Libya's chaos but those dreams were dealt a blow as clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of the new government hours after its arrival. 

Gunmen stormed the headquarters of a television station, cutting its transmissions and forcing out its staff, as the authorities in control of Tripoli demanded Seraj's departure.

The channel is close to the self-declared government in control of Tripoli, which had demanded that Seraj leave the capital or "hand himself in."

“Those who entered illegally and secretly must surrender or turn back,” Khalifa Ghweil, the head of the administration, said in a televised address.

“We won’t leave Tripoli as long as we are not sure of the fate of our homeland,” he said.

Tripoli's government had declared a state of emergency ahead of Seraj's anticipated arrival, and several main highways were blocked late Wednesday by armed groups.  

Hours after he landed, shops and restaurants closed, and cars lined up outside petrol stations. Opposing militias set up checkpoints in downtown Tripoli, stopping cars and searching drivers.

Insecurity and 'foreign-backed' government

Libya has had two rival administrations since mid-2014 when a militia alliance overran the capital, setting up its own authority and forcing the parliament to flee to the country's remote east.

The oil-rich African country has been dominated by violence since a NATO military intervention followed the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Daesh, which is in control of some parts of Iraq and Syria, and other militants have used the lack of security to build a base in the country.

It has triggered an influx of refugees heading to Italy and elsewhere. The crisis and fears of its spillover to neighboring countries such as Tunisia have forced Europe to try to unite all factions under a single authority. 

Seraj arrived with six deputies who are members of the Presidential Council. Western powers have recognized it as Libya's sole legitimate government, but it has faced opposition in both eastern and western Libya.

The council has called for an immediate transfer of power to the "unity" government, though both the Tripoli and eastern-based governments oppose this.

The government's 18 members have so far failed to secure a vote of approval from Libya's eastern, internationally-recognized parliament, as required under the UN-mediated deal.

Fathi al-Mrimi, a spokesman for eastern parliament's president, said the new government's arrival was "premature."

"They have entered by force under foreign protection, and Libyans won't accept anything imposed on them by force," he told the Reuters news agency.

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