As rebel forces march from the east of the country on the capital, World powers and the United Nations have condemned the recent fighting in Libya.
While the UN also issued a similar call, The G7 group of rich countries has urged all parties to “immediately halt all military activity.”
The leader of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, has ordered the advance on Tripoli.
This came after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was in the city to discuss the ongoing crisis. And, “Until our troops have defeated terrorism, our operations will not stop,” Gen Haftar said to Mr Guterres in Benghazi.
Khalifa Haftar was a former army officer that helped Colonel Muammar Gadaffi seize power back in 1969 before going out into exile in the US as he fell out with Gadaffi. And just after the uprising against Gadaffi began, he came back as a rebel commander.
Recent reports suggest that near the International airport to the south of Libya, fighting is currently going on. The airport having already been closed since 2014 – although it is disputed.
Mr Guterres said in a tweet that he left Libya “with a heavy heart and deeply concerned,” saying that he hoped there was a workaround to the issue rather than battle it out at the capital.
However, The G7 later responded to the fighting with a statement urging an end to military operations, “We strongly oppose any military action in Libya, reiterating our support for UN-led efforts to bring elections and calling on all countries to support the sustainable stabilization of Libya.”
It is still very unclear how much this is a genuine effort to seize Tripoli or just a show of force from Gen Haftar’s position.