The Libyan capital Tripoli has been rocked by violent clashes between rival armed groups. Media reports say the leader of one of the armed groups has been killed in the clashes. The incident took place on Monday night local time.
AFP journalists heard heavy gunfire and explosions in several areas of the capital since 9pm local time. Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors.
Libyan television channel Al-Ahrar and news site Al-Wasat reported the death of Abdel Ghani Al-Kiqli, the leader of the ‘Support and Stability Apparatus’, an influential armed group based in southern Tripoli.
The Interior Ministry of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli called on all citizens to stay at home for their safety in a statement. Local media reported that the clashes broke out in the southern suburbs between the armed groups in Tripoli and the rivals in the main port city of Misrata.
Libya has been struggling to recover from years of unrest since the 2011 uprising that toppled late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Libya is currently divided between a UN-recognized government in the capital, Tripoli, and a rival administration in the east, controlled by the Haftar family. Despite relative calm in recent years, there have been occasional clashes between armed groups vying for territory. In August 2023, fighting between two powerful armed groups in Tripoli left 55 people dead.
Several districts in the capital and its suburbs have announced that schools will remain closed until further notice. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Libya has urged everyone to remain calm. “UNSMIL is concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Tripoli, with heavy weapons being used in densely populated civilian areas,” they told Axios.
They called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and warned that “attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes. UNSMIL fully supports the efforts of elders and community leaders to de-escalate the situation.”
Source: AFP