Anti-Dabaiba sentiment rising in western Libya as militia leaders meet

Apr 9, 2024 | Libyan actors

On 12 April, Nasser Ammar, the commander of the Support Force of Operation Burkan al-Ghadab (Operation Volcano of Rage; formed to oversee the defence of Tripoli against the LNA attack in 2019- 20), indicated that a major military operation would soon take place in Tripoli.

On 13 April, there was a protest in the centre of Zawiyya decrying the worsening living and economic conditions, demanding the formation of a unified government and the expulsion of foreign forces, and denouncing corruption and crime. In a statement, the protestors also stressed the need to enhance security and services in Zawiyya and hold municipal elections.

On 13 April, Misrata militia leader Salah Badi sharply criticized the Dabaiba government for the recent fighting in Tripoli and asked how long ‘this farce in the capital should go on’. People’s lives are ‘not a plaything in the hands of the shameful government’. In response, Abdussalam al-Zoubi, commander of the pro-Dabaiba 111th (Misrata) ‘Halbous’ Brigade, threatened Badi with arrest.