Calm in Libyan capital after clashes kill 32

Flights resumed and shops re-opened in Libya's capital Tripoli after clashes between backers of rival governments killed at least 32 people and sparked fears of major new conflict.

Armed groups had exchanged fire that damaged several hospitals and set buildings on fire starting overnight, the worst fighting in the Libyan capital since a landmark 2020 ceasefire.

The health ministry said that 32 people had been killed and 159 wounded during the clashes.

The fighting came after months of mounting tensions between backers of Abdulhamid Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha, whose rival administrations are vying for control of the oil-rich North African country, which has seen more than a decade of violence since a 2011 uprising.

Dbeibah's administration was installed in Tripoli in the country's west as part of a United Nations-led peace process last year.

He has so far prevented Bashagha from taking office there, arguing that the next administration should be the product of elections.

Bashagha was appointed by Libya's eastern-based parliament earlier this year.

Bashagha, a former interior minister, had initially ruled out the use of violence to take power in Tripoli but subsequently hinted that he could resort to force.

Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising, with myriad armed groups and foreign powers moving to fill the power vacuum.