Libya's UN-backed government arrives in Tripoli

Members of Libya’s UN-backed unity government arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday, defying warnings by rival factions that it should not move there.

The head of the presidential council Fayez al Sarraj was accompanied by several members of his cabinet.

Despite threats, Libya's UN-backed unity government stealthily arrives by boat in Tripoli https://t.co/bf2Ua0veic pic.twitter.com/01EOwIb9Wc

— AJE News (@AJENews) March 30, 2016

Sarraj, who had been in Tunis on Tuesday, appeared to have arrived by sea but the circumstances were not immediately clear.

Him and members of the cabinet had previously been blocked from entering the capital by Tripoli’s self-declared government.

Western powers view the unity government as the best hope for ending Libya’s chaos and uniting all factions against the powerful Islamic State militants who have seized the central city of Sirte.

However, the government backed by the recognised parliament in eastern Libya and another rival administration supported by armed groups in Tripoli has refused to cede power to the UN-backed authorities.

AFP