Tripoli
\nSeveral ministers with Libya\u2019s internationally recognised government have resigned in support of the protesters calling for Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to step down.
\nThe government late on Friday said a police officer was killed in an \u201cattempted assault\u201d on the prime minister\u2019s office as thousands of Libyans marched into squares and various areas in the capital, Tripoli.
\n\u201cHe was shot by unknown attackers and succumbed to his injuries,\u201d a statement said, adding that members of a group who mixed with the protesters tried to set the office on fire using Molotov cocktails.
\nEconomy 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.
\nThe government had earlier on Friday denied reports of the ministers\u2019 resignations.
\nMeanwhile, in the city of Misrata, protesters gathered in support of Dbeibah and his government.
\nThe 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.
\nDbeibah attempted to consolidate power and assert control after the killing, with more clashes following later in the week.
\nBefore the demonstrations, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had emphasised \u201ccitizens\u2019 right to peaceful protest\u201d and warned against \u201cany escalation of violence\u201d.
\nReporting from Tripoli, Al Jazeera\u2019s Malik Traina said Libyans want to see a major change as people are \u201cextremely frustrated\u201d with the security situation.
\n\u201cLibyans are calling for elections and want to be able to voice their opinion and put those that they want in power,\u201d he said.
\nEgypt\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that Cairo was closely monitoring developments in Libya, and urged all parties to exercise \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d. It also advised Egyptian citizens in Libya to remain cautious and stay in their homes until the situation is clarified.
\nLibya has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, which ended up dividing the country between two rival administrations.
\nDbeibah\u2019s Government of National Unity (GNU) has maintained control over western Libya since 2021, while an administration backed by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar leads in the east.
\nLibya was scheduled to hold national elections at the end of 2021, which were postponed indefinitely due to disputes over candidate eligibility, constitutional rules, and concerns over security as the rival governments failed to agree on a framework.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tripoli Several ministers with Libya\u2019s 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 \u201cattempted assault\u201d on the prime minister\u2019s office as thousands of Libyans marched into squares and various areas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-479220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n