Armed street clashes have rocked Tripoli over the past week, as militias linked to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA [14]) have vied for control of the Libyan capital with rival militias that have launched an offensive on the city from the southeast. The most significant of these is the 7th Brigade from the town of Tarhuna [15]—also known as as the Kaniat Brigade, led by the Kani brothers. The 7th Brigade has rejected the truce, vowing to continue fighting until it "cleanses Tripoli of militias." The 7th Brigade has reportedly assumed control of the airport. There have been reports that that GNA has launched air-strikes on Tarhuna, but these were denied by the Presidential Council, which said that the strikes targeted only "aggressor" postitions inside Tripoli. The city's electricity has intermittently gone out amid the fighting, and access to Facebook—the only news source for most Libyans—has been blocked, although it is unclear by whom. The GNA has declared a state of emergency in the city, and Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj [16] has formed a "crisis committee" to try to broker peace. But warlord Khalifa Haftar [17] in Benghazi, who is loyal to Libya's unrecognized eastern government [18], anticipated the fall of Tripoli, saying that "liberating the Libyan capital is inevitable." (Middle East Eye [19], Libya Observer [20], Libya Observer [21], Libya Observer [22], Libya Observer [23], Libya Observer [24], Libya Observer [12], Al Jazeera [25], Libya Herald [26], Reuters [27] )
