The capital city of Libya, Tripoli, experienced its most intense fighting in years, which subsided on Wednesday following an hour after the government announced a ceasefire. However, there has been no official report yet regarding the number of casualties.
The clashes erupted late Monday night after the death of a prominent leader from one of the armed factions. Although the fighting eased on Tuesday morning, it reignited overnight, leading to significant battles in various neighborhoods across the city.
The Ministry of Defense of the government stated, “Regular forces have begun coordinating with the relevant security agencies to implement measures necessary for ensuring calm by deploying neutral units.”
Furthermore, the ministry indicated that the units being dispatched around sensitive locations are police forces that do not carry heavy weaponry.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed “serious concern regarding the escalation of violence in densely populated areas of Tripoli” and urgently called for a ceasefire.
The events on Monday seemingly reinforced the authority of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, the head of the national unity government, which is allied with Turkey.
However, any prolonged fighting within Tripoli threatens to attract factions from outside the capital, potentially leading to a broader escalation among the numerous armed groups in Libya, following years of relative calm.
According to the English-language newspaper Libya Observer, the main conflict on Wednesday occurred between the 444th Brigade and the Special Operations Force for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime.
Armed clashes also broke out in western areas of Tripoli, which have historically served as a gateway for armed groups from the city of Zawiya, located to the west of the capital.
Rising Tensions
Residents of Tripoli, trapped in their homes due to the fighting, expressed their terror at the sudden eruption of violence following weeks of escalating tensions between armed factions.
A father of three children in the Al-Zahra neighborhood stated over the phone, “It is terrifying to witness all this violent conflict; I have put my family in one room to avoid random shelling.”
Mohannad Jumaa, who lives in the western suburb of Serraj, mentioned that fighting would pause for a few minutes before resuming.
He added, “We feel relieved each time it stops, but our hope fades again.”
Libya has not enjoyed significant stability since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that led to the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been divided since 2014 between rival factions in the east and west, although a truce in 2020 has helped prevent a major descent into war.
Libya is a key energy exporter and an important transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern Libyan forces (Libyan National Army), has held dominance over eastern Libya for a decade, while control over Tripoli and western Libya is divided among various armed factions.
On Tuesday, Dbeibeh ordered the dismantling of what he referred to as non-state armed groups.