PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba has continued to push the narrative that he is in control of the situation in Tripoli and is bringing the armed groups under the control of the state, despite little evidence of this.
On 13 July, PM Dabaiba emphasized in an official meeting with UN SRSG Hanna Tetteh his intention to place Mitiga International Airport under his government’s control, as part of a security plan aimed at extending state authority over all sovereign institutions.
The Souq al-Jumaa Movement strongly denied rumours about handing over Mitiga Airport and the base there to government-affiliated security agencies, calling them false and provocative. It insisted no negotiations or decisions had been made and declared the site a protected red line. The movement criticized attempts to replace Rada and warned against undermining Tripoli’s security amid rising tensions and public rejection of militia influence.
On 20 July, in an interview Dabaiba vowed to dismantle militia control over prisons and restore the rule of law. He emphasized that justice must be institutional, not dictated by armed groups, and pledged to end extrajudicial detentions, long pretrial imprisonments, and impunity for human rights violations. The PM framed the reform of the Judicial Police and the release of unlawfully held detainees as part of a broader campaign to consolidate state authority and uphold legal standards.
The same day, in a blow to Dabaiba’s authority, candidates to be the new prime minister of Libya flew into Mitiga airport and met with High State Council (HSC) head Khaled al-Mishri in central Tripoli at the Radisson Hotel. Notably, this included Essam Abu Zuriba, the minister of interior in the rival Government of National Stability (GNS) and brother of new SSA commander Hassan Abu Zuriba.