Fresh violence rocks Libya as al-Thinni's government sworn in

At least one person was killed and two others were injured in clashes between Islamist militiamen and gunmen in Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday, a medical source said.

The violence erupted when militiamen affiliated with the 'Dawn of Libya campaign' raided a building believed to be housing a militant group in Zawiya district in the capital, the source told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity.

A source with the Islamist militia declined to give details on the raid, but said that the country's "revolutionaries" would continue operating on the ground until the city is clear of "supporters of the counter-revolution."

Violence also gripped Libya’s second city Benghazi where three people were killed late Saturday in two separate attacks by unidentified gunmen, medical and security sources said.

Medical sources told Anadolu that a man and his wife were gunned down in the city's al-Sarti district after unidentified gunmen showered their car with bullets. Their 10-year-old daughter was also injured in the attack, they said.

The motives of the shooting are not yet known, the source said.

Meanwhile, a security source said that unknown militants also shot dead Abu Bakr al-Arafi, an employee working at a government-run satellite channel, outside his house in Al-Leithi district.

The two attacks are the latest in a string of recent assassinations that targeted several individuals in Benghazi. Friday saw a spate of attacks with six people – including civilians and soldiers – killed in the troubled eastern city.

The incident came a week after so-called “Black Friday”, in which 10 were killed and thirteen targeted in an unprecedented day of violence.

Despite the latest escalation in violence, Libya’s new government - headed by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thanni – was sworn in today in front of the newly-elected House of Representatives.

Al-Thinni's cabinet, which includes nine ministers and three deputy premiers, was given confidence by the parliament last week with a sweeping majority.

As many as 110 out of 112 lawmakers who attended the vote session last Sunday voted in favor of al-Thinni's government.

The swearing in ceremony comes after weeks of political wrangling that have seen Thanni struggle to find a suitable solution.

But Thanni’s legitimacy – alongside that of his Tobruk-based House of Representatives – remains in doubt.

A rival Tripoli-based parliament, based on the old GNC, has refused to disband, creating widespread divisions in the fragile country, teetering on the edge.

Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 ouster and death of longstanding ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Ever since, rival militias have locked horns, bringing violence to Libya's main cities, including capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi.