Militants seize key ministries in Libya’s Tripoli

TRIPOLI - Several militant groups took control of Libya’s defence, justice and economy ministries in the country’s capital city of Tripoli on Thursday, media reported.

According to Al Arabiya, the ministries of Defence, Justice and Economy were overtaken in Tripoli.

The Saudi-owned news site did not elaborate on which armed groups were responsible for the takeover.

Earlier this month, a deputy leader of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) announced his resignation, saying the UN-backed administration had failed to tackle urgent problems arising from years of conflict and political disarray.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a civil war began in the country and its longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. In December 2015, Libya’s rival governments — the Council of Deputies based in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress — agreed to create the Government of National Accord (GNA), to form the Presidency Council and to end the political impasse.

On March 31, the long-anticipated the UN-backed GNA in Libya started to perform its duties.