22 Dead in Libyan Capital as Parliament Opening Session Hangs in Balance

The Libyan government said Sunday that at least 22 people were killed in clashes in Tripoli and warned of a "worsening humanitarian situation."

On the political front, a formal opening session of Libya's elected parliament scheduled for Monday hung in the balance, with Islamists insisting on a Tripoli venue and nationalists calling for it to be held in the eastern city of Tobruk.

The parliament, elected on June 25, is to take over from the interim General National Congress (GNC) chosen in the wake of the 2011 revolt which toppled longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi.

"We're in a situation where we have two different authorities: a legislature in Tobruk and another on the ground which dominates the three big cities," Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata, all Islamist strongholds, said political activist Salah al-Bakush.

The latest flare-up of violence, which erupted on Saturday, takes the death toll in Tripoli to 124 since July 13, with more than 500 wounded.

A medical source said the weekend casualty figures of 22 dead and 72 wounded did not cover hospitals outside Tripoli, in particular in the town of Misrata which has sent fighters to the capital.

The transitional government said "several hundred" families had been displaced and there was a "worsening humanitarian situation" in Tripoli, where petrol, bottled gas and food supplies are scarce.

On Sunday, most shops and banks were shut and the sky was filled with black smoke from a fuel depot ravaged by a fire resulting from clashes over the past two weeks.

Tripoli airport has been closed and several aircraft destroyed or damaged in the clashes between rival militias.

The unrest is seen as a struggle for influence, both between regions and political factions, as Libya plunges into chaos, with authorities failing to control the dozens of militias in the absence of a structured regular army and police force.