Libyan ministers resign as protesters call for government to step down

TRIPOLI,  Libya 

Several ministers with Libya’s internationally recognised government have resigned in support of the protesters calling for Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to step down.

The government late on Friday said a police officer was killed in an “attempted assault” on the prime minister’s office as thousands of Libyans marched into squares and various areas in the capital, Tripoli.

“He was shot by unknown attackers and succumbed to his injuries,” a statement said, adding that members of a group who mixed with the protesters tried to set the office on fire using Molotov cocktails.

Economy and Trade Minister Mohamed al-Hawij, Local Government Minister Badr Eddin al-Tumi and Minister of Housing Abu Bakr al-Ghawi resigned, according to a video released by two of those ministers as well as local media reports.

The government had earlier on Friday denied reports of the ministers’ resignations.

Meanwhile, in the city of Misrata, protesters gathered in support of Dbeibah and his government.

The protests follow a wave of violence in Tripoli in the past week that led to the deaths of at least eight civilians. The deadly clashes started after powerful militia leader Abdelghani al-Kikli, also known as Gheniwa, was killed in an ambush at a military base.

Dbeibah attempted to consolidate power and assert control after the killing, with more clashes following later in the week.

Before the demonstrations, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had emphasised “citizens’ right to peaceful protest” and warned against “any escalation of violence”.