Factional splits may hamper Libyan unity government's push for control

Unity government head Fayez Seraj (L) shakes hands with a man inside a mosque after Friday prayers, during a tour in Tripoli city, Libya, April 1, 2016, in this handout photo provided by the Office of Information. REUTERS/Office of Information/Handout via Reuters

TUNIS (Reuters) - In its first days in Tripoli, Libya's U.N.-backed unity government has tried to impose its authority swiftly by ordering a freeze on ministry budgets and securing the prime minister's office with the help of a powerful armed brigade.

A violent reaction by hostile militias has so far not materialised as feared. And from a heavily guarded naval base, the new government's leaders have begun charting the sprawling North African state's economic recovery in conjunction with the central bank and the National Oil Corporation (NOC).