Demonstrators Demand Dbeibah’s Resignation After Clashes in Capital

The worst fighting in Libya’s capital for years calmed on Wednesday after the government announced a ceasefire but fears of a wider conflagration persisted as sporadic clashes continued.

On late Wednesday, protesters took to the streets in Tripoli to call for the resignation of the National Unity Government following renewed clashes in Libya’s capital.

Shootings initially broke out late on Monday after the killing of a major militia leader. After calming on Tuesday morning, the fighting reignited overnight, with major battles rocking districts across the entire city.

“Regular forces, in coordination with the relevant security authorities, have begun taking the necessary measures to ensure calm, including the deployment of neutral units,” the defence ministry said.

The ministry said the neutral units it was deploying around sensitive sites were from the police force, which does not carry heavy weapons.

After the fighting, burned-out cars littered the streets in some areas, and nearby buildings were pocked with bullet marks.

Monday’s clashes had appeared to consolidate the power of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, prime minister of the divided country’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and an ally of Turkey.

However, any prolonged fighting within Tripoli risks drawing in factions from outside the capital, potentially leading to a wider escalation between Libya’s many armed players after years of relative calm.

Fighting also erupted in western areas of Tripoli that have historically been a gateway for armed factions from Zawiya, a town to the west of the capital.

The main fighting on Wednesday was between the Dbeibah-aligned 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force (Rada), the last major armed Tripoli faction not currently in his camp, the English-language Libyan Observer reported.

Dbeibah on Tuesday ordered the dismantling of what he called irregular armed groups. He was understood to mean rival factions still challenging him in Tripoli.

That announcement followed Monday’s killing of major militia chief Abdulghani Kikli, widely known as Ghaneiwa, and the sudden defeat of his Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) group by factions aligned with Dbeibah.

The seizure of SSA territory in Libya by the Dbeibah-allied factions, the 444 and 111 Brigades, indicated a major concentration of power in the fragmented capital, leaving Rada as the last big faction not closely tied to the prime minister.

Tripoli residents trapped in their homes by the fighting voiced horror at the sudden eruption of violence, which had followed weeks of growing tensions among armed factions.

In the western suburb of Saraj, Mohanad Juma said fighting would pause for a few minutes before resuming. “Each time it stops we feel relieved. But then we lose hope again,” he said.

The United Nations Libya mission UNSMIL said it was “deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in densely-populated neighbourhoods of Tripoli” and called for a ceasefire.

Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted long-time ruler Muammar Gadhafi. The country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020.

While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions.

Turkey on Wednesday called for a truce “without delay”.

“We are closely monitoring the escalating situation in and around Tripoli,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We call on all parties to implement a full and lasting ceasefire without delay and to engage in dialogue to settle disputes,” the ministry said.

Between April 2019 and June 2020, Haftar launched an offensive to seize Tripoli with the support of foreign powers including Russia and Egypt, which was halted by Tripoli government backed by Turkey.

A major energy exporter, Libya is also an important way station for migrants heading to Europe, while its conflict has drawn in foreign powers including Turkey, Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Its main oil facilities are located in southern and eastern Libya, far from the current fighting in Tripoli. Engineers at several oil fields and export terminals told Reuters output remained unaffected by the clashes.

However, Sirte Oil Company, a subsidiary of the National Oil Corp (NOC), said it was suspending land transport to the west, including Tripoli, until stability was restored.