Benghazi is controlled by Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), the military coalition that controls eastern Libya and has shown little tolerance for internal opponents. The U.N. Libya mission said in a social media post on Monday it was concerned by the clashes and the disruption to communications. The LNA did not immediately issue a statement and it, and Benghazi residents, could not be reached by Reuters for comment amid the communications blackout. A leader of the Barghatha clan, part of eastern Libya's influential Awaqir tribe, said it had been working to effect a reconciliation between Haftar and Barghathi. Libyan media outlets reported that clashes erupted on Friday evening soon after Barghathi's arrival in his home area in Benghazi's Salmani neighbourhood.
