TRIPOLI, May 18, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Libya's UN-backed premier Saturday called on armed groups to align themselves with "state institutions" after days of deadly clashes in Tripoli and protests demanding his resignation.

"We will welcome all those who choose to stand with the state," said Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah in a televised address.

"We will sideline those who resort to blackmail and corruption. Our goal is a Libya free of militias and corruption."

Days of clashes in the capital have pitted an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government against groups it has been seeking to dismantle.

Libya is split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east controlled by the family of military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.

The recent fights have killed at least eight people, said the UN, while the authorities have yet to release an official tally.

The clashes had been trigerred by the killing of Abdelghani al-Kikli, head of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA) faction, by the Dbeibah-aligned 444 Brigade.

A second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against another group, the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli and several key state institutions.

And a string of executive orders had sought to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, excluding the 444 Brigade.

Dbeibah's latest address mainly concerned Radaa, a group controlling parts of eastern Tripoli.

"Trying to sow discord between us and Souq al-Joumaa (a Radaa stronghold) is bound to fail," Dbeibah said, acknowledging "a shared mistake" when speaking of the "clashes in the heart of Tripoli in neighbourhoods full of civilians".

He said certain militias "had grown excessively, to the point of controlling the entire political, financial, economic, and even social landscape".

He said an SSA associate "took control of six banks, and those who dared to oppose him disappeared", citing abuses by among others Kikli's nephew, who "coldly executed 10 people recently".

Another SSA associate, Ousama Al Masri Nejim, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for acts of torture and the rape of a young girl, Dbeibah noted.

"For the first time, I can tell you that you can hope to get rid of the militias," Dbeibah said, vowing to remove "those who prioritise blackmail and corruption".

- 'State's efforts' -

Yet Tripoli residents have taken to the streets for two consecutive days, demanding Dbeibah's resignation after the deadly fighting.

Some 500 people protested on Saturday after thousands of other anti-government demonstrators had gathered at Martyrs' Square in central Tripoli on Friday before marching on the premier's office.

The Friday rally had been followed by one police officer being shot dead by unknown attackers when he was "targeted while securing" Dbeibah's office, according to the government.

Tripoli saw signs of normalcy on Friday, with flights resuming, shops reopening and people returning to work.

But despite that, the capital's political situation remained volatile.

Local media reported late Friday that six ministers and deputy ministers from Dbeibah's cabinet had resigned. Only two confirmed their departure.

Several municipal councils in western Tripoli voiced support for the protests demanding that Dbeibah quit.

Khaled al-Mishri, head of the High Council of State in the capital, said he had begun talks with the eastern-based parliament to "choose a national figure to form a new government".

Dbeibah, meanwhile, met tribal elders in the capital on Saturday and said his government was "trying to respond quickly" to the recent developments in the city.

In his first statement since the clashes erupted on Monday, he urged the tribal leaders to support "the state's efforts" to prevent "a return to chaos and the rule of armed groups".

He also met a delegation from Misrata, his hometown, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Tripoli.

In a statement, the government said the delegation "expressed firm and unwavering support" for his efforts to "end the control of armed groups and strengthen state authority" in Tripoli.

While the situation remained uncertain, Turkey -- a key proponent of Dbeibah's government -- repatriated 82 of its nationals late Friday.