On 5 March, Anwar Sawan, a member of the Misrata Council of Elders, said that rebelling against the Dabaiba government is a religious duty. The next day, Anwar Sawan was arrested by the Internal Security Agency (or, according to other sources, by the Misrata Joint Force) in Misrata. After a couple of hours, he was released.
On 6 March in the evening, Misrata saw a wave of public anger after residents stormed and forcibly dispersed a meeting held by a group linked to the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council and Ajdabiya Shura Council inside a hall in the al-Ghiran area. Eyewitnesses said the gathering was viewed as provocative, prompting locals to intervene and expel the participants. Videos circulating online show young Misrata residents, who described themselves as rejecting terrorism, breaking up what the group called the ‘Association of Benghazi Displaced Persons,’ accusing its members of incitement against security and judicial authorities.