Clashes broke out after Fathi Bashagha, the eastern-based prime minister, attempted to seat his government in Libya's capital Tripoli on Tuesday and forced him to flee the city.

Bashagha’s office said he had arrived in Tripoli with a number of ministers from his Cabinet early on Tuesday – three months after his controversial appointment to lead an interim government in the war-wracked country.

His arrival was likely to fuel more tensions between Libya’s rival administrations. In the morning, local media reported clashes between different militias and rival forces supporting the two sides in central Tripoli and elsewhere in the city.

"We arrived in the capital peacefully and safely. The reception was excellent," Bashagha had said in earlier video comments, adding that his government was ready to work with all Libyans, including those opposing him.

There was no comment on his arrival from the government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who is based in Tripoli.

Later Tuesday, Bashagha's office said he and his ministers left Tripoli "for the sake of the security and safety of citizens and to stop the bloodshed."

The U.N. special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, urged calm and for rival parties to engage in talks to resolve their disputes.

"Conflict cannot be solved with violence, but with dialogue and mediation," she tweeted, adding that the United Nations is ready to host all parties "in helping Libya find a genuine, consensual way forward toward stability and elections."

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya researcher, said the violence that unfolded during Bashagha's "brief presence inside Tripoli" reflected a "clear failure" by Dbeibah's rival.

Dbeibah enjoys the support of well-financed armed groups – not only in the capital but also in Misrata – that are fierce opponents to east-based putschist military commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar, with whom Bashagha is now aligned, said Harchaoui.

Over the weekend, rival militias also clashed in Tripoli’s neighborhood of Janzour. No casualties were reported but local authorities said there was damage to infrastructure, including a power plant.

The U.N. mission in Libya has condemned the clashes, and said they involved "indiscriminate fire and the alleged use of heavy weapons" in the densely populated neighborhood.

The failure to hold the vote was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya. It opened a new chapter in Libya's long-running political impasse, with rival governments claiming power after tentative steps toward unity in the past year.

The oil-rich country has been marred by conflict since the NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Libya has since for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.

The eastern-based parliament appointed Bashagha in March but the sitting Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, refused to cede power leading to a prolonged standoff between the two rival governments.

Bashagha and his Cabinet have not been able to enter the capital Tripoli, where Dbeibah has the support of armed factions, and has repeatedly said he will not try to do so using force.

Bashagha was interior minister in the Tripoli-based government during Libya's most recent bout of conflict before a 2020 cease-fire, helping it to stave off a 14-month assault by eastern forces.

However, his government is now backed by the most powerful figures in eastern Libya including Haftar and Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh.

Dbeibah was appointed to head an interim unity government through a U.N.-backed process last year that included a military cease-fire and was aimed at holding an election in December.

The parliament said his term of office expired when the election failed to take place and appointed Bashagha to replace him with elections postponed until next year.

Dbeibah rejected that, saying his mandate remains in force, while some other Libyan political bodies said the parliament's moves were illegitimate.

Egypt calls for restraint amid Libya clashes

Meanwhile, Egypt called for restraint in Libya amid clashes between rival armed groups in the capital Tripoli.

A security source told Anadolu Agency that Bashagha was forced to leave the capital after fierce clashes were reported between the two sides.

"Egypt is following with grave concern the developments in Tripoli and underlines the necessity to maintain calm in Libya," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It called on the Libyan parties "to refrain from taking any steps that could fuel violence", calling for dialogue to hold elections in the conflict-ridden country.

For more than two months, there have been two governments in Libya: the national unity government led by Dbeibah and the one granted confidence in early March by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives.

Dbeibah has previously said he would only cede authority to a government that comes through an "elected parliament," raising fears that the oil-rich country could slip back into a civil war.