Aqila Saleh: The Bashagha government has officially started its duties from Sirte

The Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, convened in Tobruk, Aqila Saleh, announced that the government headed by Fathi Bashagha, has officially started its duties from the city of Sirte, in the center of the country.

This came in a speech during a parliamentary session held on Tuesday to discuss the draft budget law for the year 2022, submitted by the Bashagha government and representatives of the Central Bank Administration, the Control and Accountability Authority, the Oil and Anti-Corruption Corporation, and the Parliament’s Finance Committee.

Saleh said, "Tripoli is under the control of armed groups and it can only be entered with two options: either by fighting or with the consent of these groups, and the government is thus under the control of these groups... In order to avoid bloodshed, the government decides to officially carry out its duties from the city of Sirte, so that citizens from the east, west and south come to it without fear".

Saleh considered that the national unity government headed by Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba "has expired" and refuses to hand over government headquarters in Tripoli to the government appointed by Parliament, "which is a clear deviation from the constitution and the law."

In turn, the Prime Minister-designate from the Libyan House of Representatives, Fathi Bashagha, said that his government will begin its duties from the city of Sirte in the coming days.

Bashagha added that his government tried to enter the capital, Tripoli, peacefully, but was met with force and incitement by what he described as the brute league.

Fears are rising in Libya that the country will slide into a civil war after a split occurred over the inauguration of the House of Representatives of Bashagha as head of a new government, instead of the internationally recognized government of national unity, which confirms that it will continue in its duties until a new government is elected.

The national unity government said on Tuesday that it would not allow any party to use force or violence to create chaos and implement and impose its own political agendas by force.

The government also warned of what it considered "attempts by some parties to withdraw funds from citizens' deposits in commercial banks, which it fears will be used to finance wars."