Libya has been shaken by what is probably the heaviest fighting since the beginning of the year. According to a health center, 27 people were killed in Tripoli. Residents were unable to leave their homes for hours.
At least 27 people have been killed in clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, according to an emergency medicine center. As the AP news agency further reports, doctors had spoken of four deaths the night before. More than 100 people were injured.
Heavy fighting was reported between the Special Deterrence Force and the 444th Brigade. Many Tripoli residents were unable to leave their homes. The Ministry of Health called on the parties to the conflict to at least let ambulances and rescue teams into the affected areas, especially in the south of the city. It also asked for the delivery of blood bags.
Arrest of the commander of the 444th Brigade
The shooting erupted after the Special Deterrence Force arrested the commander of the 444th Brigade, Mahmud Hamsa, at Tripoli Airport on Monday, media reports said. The aviation organization OPS Group announced that numerous planes had flown out of Tripoli because of the fighting. Incoming machines were diverted to Misrata.
Although the 444th Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force temporarily supported the interim government of national unity last year, there have been repeated clashes between the two groups in Tripoli this year. The latest was the deadliest in Tripoli so far this year.
UN call for end of fighting
Oil-rich Libya fell into chaos after the fall and death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Two rival governments, supported by heavily armed militias and foreign governments, have been at war since 2014. Both Libyan parliaments condemned the escalation. The House of Representatives in the east of the country blamed the rival government in Tripoli.
The embassies of Great Britain and the USA called for a de-escalation. The United States called for an “immediate de-escalation to preserve recent Libyan gains towards stability and elections,” the embassy statement said.
The UN support mission in Libya also said it was following developments with concern and called for an immediate end to all fighting. The events also have potential implications for efforts to advance the political process and hold national elections. These were actually supposed to take place at the end of 2021, but were then canceled due to a dispute about the legal basis and approved candidates, among other things. A new date has not yet been set.