Libya’s internationally recognised Prime minister Abdullah al-Thanni says he’s survived an assassination attempt by gunmen, in the city of Tobruk.
One of his guards was slightly wounded when his vehicle was attacked.
Prior to the attack, armed men, who had been protesting outside the Tobruk government’s House of Representatives, had tried to storm the building, firing shots into the air and demanding al-Thanni be removed from office.
Libya is split into two, administratively, with one governments in Tripoli, which is backed by Islamist-allied militias, and an internationally recognised government, which operates from the eastern cities of Tobruk and Bayda.
Al-Thinni is trying to run the country from Tobruk after being expelled from the capital, Tripoli, by militias in 2014.
His power has been challenged by the establishment of another body in Tripoli that claims to be the legitimate government.
Lawmakers in Tobruk told the Reuters news agency that crowds had gathered outside the parliament building on Tuesday to protest against Mr al-Thanni’s rule.
His government had originally planned to set up parliament in the eastern city of Benghazi but was forced to relocate to Tobruk after heavy fighting between government forces and Islamist militias.
Those militias have established a strong presence in the country over the last two years and some militants have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group.
Libya has been in turmoil since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power in 2011. The turmoil has enabled the rise of an active Islamic State branch, which now controls at least two cities along the country’s coastline.
