(CNN) A renegade Libyan general has ordered troops to advance on capital city Tripoli, the base of the country's United Nations-backed government, the Government of National Accord.

Eight years after the fall of strongman leader Moammar Gadhafi, the North African country is mired in violence and split into rival administrations. The administration of General Khalifa Haftar, in eastern Libya, is often at odds with the Western-backed government based in Tripoli.

Also in the mix are multiple tribes competing for control of Libya's dwindling oil wealth, as well as militant groups, including ISIS, scattered across the vast country.

"To our army stationed on the border of Tripoli today, we continue the march of struggle and response to the appeal of our people in the capital as we promised them," said Haftar, who heads the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), in an audio recording posted on his media office's Facebook account.

He added that "safety of our foreign guests and our institutions" should be ensured.

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