Thousands of Libyans march for new politician, others oppose

Nearly 2,000 demonstrators have gathered in the Libyan capital in support of a Switzerland-based Libyan businessman who had called for a rally to reject the leadership of both main sides in the divided country.

Basit Igtet has sought political entree in the oil-rich country before and has recently gathered thousands of Facebook followers and proposed himself as a potential leader for the country, split between rival militia-backed factions in the east and west.

Both sides opposed the rally, and hundreds of counter-demonstrators attended and shouted anti-Igtet slogans.

Clashes erupted prompting heavy security deployment in the capital, which remained tense on Tuesday morning, according to The New Arab's correspondent.

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed leaders Moammar Gaddafi. 

Since Gaddafi's fall, Libya has been plagued by security problems and political actors have been obliged to depend on rival militias that are battling for control of the North African country. Libya's collapse also attracted jihadist groups led by the Islamic State.

The main leaders from both sides recently agreed to cooperate to ease tensions, and the UN has proposed a new “Action Plan” to unite the country.