Tripoli factions on edge as Libya stalemate festers

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces are seen during a fight with Eastern forces in al-Yarmouk south of Tripoli, Libya May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara/File Photo

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A sudden shootout between factions in the Libyan capital this month provided a vivid demonstration of how a political stalemate could trigger fighting between rival groups and end two years of comparative peace.

Much of Libya has for years been dominated by armed forces that control territory and vie for position while formally acting as paid elements of state security, their presence strikingly apparent during a recent Reuters visit.