As tensions in Tripoli intensified following an attack by the Misrata-led Joint Operations Force against the Stability Support Agency (SSA) in Khoms...
Libyan actors
Our archive of incidents relating to Libyan actors in Libya’s security space, including armed group activity, state security operations and political developments.
Attorney General launches investigation into disappearance of Ibrahim al-Darsi
Following the pictures and videos leaked last week appearing to show House of Representatives (HoR) member Ibrahim al-Darsi in a cell with chains...
Various militias mobilise around Tripoli amid tensions
As various Tripoli, Misratan and other western region groups began to mobilise in and around the capital in anticipation of an escalation of...
Tensions and clashes escalate between Misrata and SSA in Khoms
An attack by the Misrata-led Joint Operations Force against the Stability Support Agency (SSA) in Khoms early in the week increased tensions between...
Outrage over videos showing imprisoned HoR member Ibrahim al-Darsi in chains
On 5 May, the French outlet Afrique Asie published pictures appearing to show the House of Representatives (HoR) member Ibrahim al-Darsi who was...
At least one killed as Misrata militia raids national reconciliation forum in Khoms
On 2 May before midnight, a militia from Misrata raided the HQ of the (HoR-appointed) National Reconciliation Forum in Khoms near the al-Naqaza...
Killing and violence along west coast worsens
On 30 April, a young man was killed by a hail of bullets in Fallujah Street in al-Ajilat. The perpetrators fled. On the same day in the afternoon,...
Attorney General links al-Rayani murder to failed armed robbery
On 30 April, the office of the Attorney General linked the murder of Brigadier General Ali Ramadan al Rayani to a failed armed robbery. Before,...
Tripoli sees spate of assassinations of security personnel
On 27 April in the early hours, Brigadier General Ali Ramadan al-Rayani, a missile engineering officer in the Libyan Army, was fatally shot as he...
Rada and SSA clash in Tripoli after attempted arrest of militia member
Clashes broke out in eastern Tripoli this week, sparked by the attempted arrest of a militia member. On 25 April, the Judicial Police, supported by...
Fighting breaks out in Sabratha and al-Ajilat
On 25 April, a young man succumbed in Sabratha to his wounds after being exposed to a hail of bullets in an armed attack that took place in front of...
Al-Gomati released weeks after kidnapping from home
On 24 April, the al-Gomati family announced the release of Muhammed al-Gomati nearly a month after he was kidnapped from his house, thanks to the...
Attorney General warns judicial rulings not enforced
In a meeting on 23 April, Attorney General al-Siddiq al-Sour said that ‘the agencies responsible for gathering evidence have become ineffective,...
Clashes break out in Zawiyya as security situation deteriorates
On 23 April, fighting broke out in the early morning between the al-Nasr Brigade from the Awlad Abu Hmeira tribe (led by Muhammed Kashlaf aka...
Security forces run over football fans in Tripoli
On 21 April, a football match in Tripoli International Stadium between al-Ahly Tripoli and al-Suwaihli ended in chaos after vehicles with the logo...
Tripoli court convicts seven over oil blockades
On 20 April, the Attorney General’s Office reported that the Tripoli Criminal Court had convicted seven people involved in ‘an organisation engaged...
Struggle to contain illegal migration continues with detentions and deportations
On 16 April, the Stability Support Agency (SSA) launched a joint security operation targeting illegal migration shelters in Ghariyan. The operation...
UN warns of new mine-contaminated areas discovered in Libya
On 16 April, the International Mine Action Awareness Day, a high-level event was held at Sports City in Tripoli. The event was jointly organized by...
LNA deploys 87th Battalion convoys to the South
On 14 April, military convoys of the Libyan National Army's (LNA) 87th Battalion, accompanied by a squadron of Air Force helicopters, departed from...
Haftar and Hammad tour LNA’s new military city near Benghazi
On 12 April, Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar, accompanied by Hammad, the Chief of Staff of the Security Units Khaled Haftar and...
Tripoli court sentences son of intel chief to seven years in prison for Mleqta assassination attempt
On 10 April, the Criminal Department of the Tripoli Court of Appeal sentenced seven individuals for their involvement in the attempted assassination...
Souq al-Jumaa agrees to reactivate its own military council
On 10 April, leaders and notables from Souq al-Jumaa in eastern Tripoli held a meeting to address the security and military situation amidst the...
PC warns against mobilisations amid tensions in Tripoli
On 4 April, the Presidential Council (PC) issued a statement stressing that ‘any movements or transfers by the security and military authorities...
Clashes break out around Zawiyya refinery
On 4 April, forces led by Muhammed Kashlaf aka al-Qasseb reportedly retook control of Zawiyya oil refinery from the West Coast Military District...
Sabratha elders announce ceasefire following clashes
On 4 April, the Sabratha Council of Elders announced the resolution of a conflict that had taken place in the Al-Khattaba area of Sabratha earlier...
Saddam Haftar heavily criticized for recent visit to Sabha
On 3 April, Libyan National Army's (LNA) Southern Military Region Commander Major General Mabrouk Sahban said that any armed formation that does not...
Two killed in al-Ajilat clashes
On 30 March in the evening, a heavily armed convoy of Othman al-Lahab’s 103rd (Zawiyya) Infantry Battalion entered al-Ajilat and clashed with local...
Protests in al-Muradad over Tunisian sentencing of Libyan intelligence officers
On 28 March, following news of the sentencing of four Libyan intelligence officers in Tunis for terrorism-related charges, protesters blocked the...
Dabaiba chairs meeting on illegation immigration
On 25 March, Government of National Unity (GNU) PM Abdel Hameed Dabaiba chaired a meeting to discuss updates on the illegal immigration file and...
Clashes in Zawiyya after CID commander assassination attempt
On 25 March, Major General Hatem al-Ghaib, commander of the Western Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department, survived an assassination...
Migrant smugglers detained in Zilla
On 24 March, the Attorney General’s Office reported that four defendants belonging to a network engaged in smuggling migrants and human trafficking...
Politically-motivated arrests and kidnappings in Tripoli draw condemnation
On 23 March, Osama al-Rajhi, deputy mayor of the Tripoli Central municipality, was detained, probably by members of the Internal Security Agency...
NSC proposes strategic plan to address irregular migration
On 22 March, the Libyan National Security Council presented a strategic plan to address the ‘growing crisis of irregular migration’. The council...
Prominent militia leader assassinated in Ajilat
On 21 March, Diaa Qaliya, a prominent militia leader in Al-Ajaylat (just west of Sabratha), was assassinated near his residence shortly before the...
Trabelsi outlines plan to address Libya’s migration crisis
On 18 March, Minister of Interior (MoI) Emad Trabelsi chaired a meeting with European Union and African Union diplomats, as well as with...
Zawiyya militia leader survives assassination attempt
On 18 March, Muhammad Kashlaf aka al-Qasseb – the prominent militia leader in Zawiyya, influential leader of the powerful Awlad Abu Hmeira clan, and...
Fighting in Ghariyan between Force 444 and Ghnaiwa’s SSA/555
On 18 March, a large number of heavily-armed Force 444 troops from Tripoli arrived in the al-Qadamah area in central Gharyan. This prompted a state...
Authorities step up anti-illegal immigration efforts
On 18 March, the Sabratha Security Directorate, in coordination with the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency, successfully carried out an operation to...
Migrant bodies recovered off Zawiyya
On 15 March, three bodies were recovered from the beach off Zawiyya. The following day, another corpse was found on the shore.
Trabelsi pledges to secure Libya’s south amid migrant resettlement controversy
On 13 March, PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba chaired a high-level meeting of key ministers and security directors to discuss the challenges of illegal...
Tensions flare up in Zawiyya after close associate of al-Bija assassinated
On 13 March, Abdurraouf Khalafallah, a former naval officer and assistant to Abdurrahman al-Bija, was killed in Zawiyya after being shot several...
Several violent incidents involving Sudanese migrants in northern Tripolitania
On 12 March, a young Libyan was reportedly beaten up and severely injured by a group of Sudanese migrants in Sabratha. On 13 March in the morning, a...
Rumours about alleged settlement of illegal migrants in Libya trigger street protests
On 8 March, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of Local Government Badr al-Din al-Toumi met with the head of the IOM mission in Libya,...
Security incident disrupts operations at Ghadames Hospital
On 7 March, the General Director of Ghadames General Hospital, Wisam al-Saadi, reported that medical staff and patients had faced verbal abuse and...
GNS launches patrols in the Jufra area
On 6 March, the General Department of Central Support of the Government of National Stability (GNS) MoI in Jufra (200 km southeast of al-Shuwayrif,...
Demonstrations in al-Ajailat after man shot by 52n Brigade
During the night from 6 to 7 March, a young man was shot in al-Ajailat by members of Mahmoud Bin Rajab’s 52nd Brigade, which belongs to the West...
Violence and insecurity continue in Zawiyya
On 6 March in the evening, clashes between security forces and drug traffickers, including allegedly some Chadian mercenaries, took place in...
GNU enhances security operations in Mizdah
On 5 March, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Ministry of Interior (MoI) enhanced its security operations in Mizdah (80 km south of Ghariyan)...
Limited tensions rise in Surman
On 5 March, militias loyal to Muhammed Bahroun aka al-Far deployed for a couple of hours in front of the judiciary HQ and at other locations in...
Tensions rise in the al-Hamada al-Hamra desert amid GNU & GNS mobilisations
On 3 March, PM (also MoD) Abdul Hameed Dabaiba established a joint operations room led by MoD Undersecretary for Regions and Military Affairs...
GNU responds to fires in al-Asabaa
After unexplained fires broke out on 25 February in houses in the town of al-Asabaa, around 120 km away from Tripoli, there have been various...
West Coast Military District soldiers wounded in Janzour ambush
On 26 February in the morning, Badr al-Mashat, a militia leader from Janzour wanted by the Attorney General, was arrested by soldiers of the Libyan...
Unexplained fires break out in al-Asabaa town
On 25 February, fires broke out in the town of al-Asabaa, around 120 km away from Tripoli, with apparently unexplained fires in several houses and...
Attorney General names perpetrator of Adel Jumaa assassination attempt
On 25 February the Attorney General said that it had established the identity of the perpetrator of the assassination attempt on Government of...
Libya’s Amazigh demand dismissal of MoI Trabelsi
On 25 February, the Supreme Council of Amazigh Libya announced an official holiday on 26 February for all Amazigh cities in the Jabal Nafusa in...
Major fire at Misrata courthouse
On 19 February in the morning, a major fire broke out in the Misrata Courts Complex located on Beirut Street. The fire broke out near the Deputy...
Renewed calls for investigations into Adel Jumaa’s attempted assassination
In her UNSC briefing on 19 February, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated calls for a ‘full...
21 African hostages released in Kufra
On 19 February, the Kufra Security Directorate announced the release of 21 individuals of African nationalities who had been held hostage in the...
Amazigh flag incident sparks protests and widespread condemnation
On 17 February, a group of young men placed the Amazigh flag on a street in Hay al-Andalus in western Tripoli, forcing cars to drive over it, during...
Misratan security officials detained over abuse of a Pakistani migrant
On 15 February, the Attorney General said it had ordered the detention of two members of the Emergency Department within the Misrata Security...
West Coast Military District operations expand to Zawiyya
On 13 February, two persons in Zawiyya were assassinated by unknown gunmen. On 17 February, fighting with light infantry weapons took place between...
Attorney General investigates mass graves in Kufra amid renewed UN calls
On 12 February, UNSMIL reiterated its alarm at the discovery of two mass graves in al-Wahat and Kufra, some with gunshot wounds. The victims had...
GNU minister wounded in assassination attempt in Tripoli
On 12 February in the morning, the car of Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of State for Prime Minister and Cabinet Affairs Adel Jumaa was...
At least eight LNA troops killed in heavy fighting with Tebu forces aligned with Chadian rebel leader in al-Qatrun
On 11 February in the evening, Libyan National Army (LNA) troops, including Military Police and the 87th Rapid Reaction Battalion of the Special...
West Coast Military District widens its operations to Zuwara
On 11 February, the Libyan Army’s West Coast Military District announced the beginning of military operations in the city of Zuwara ‘as part of the...
Mass graves of migrants discovered in southeastern Libya
On 11 February, UNHCR said it is alarmed by the discovery of two mass graves found at trafficking sites in Libya's desert—19 bodies in Ejkherra...
Attorney General detains Zuwara Coast Guard members over illegal immigration incident
On 8 February, the Attorney General announced the detention of four members of the Zuwara Coast Guard Branch. They are allegedly involved in an...
Rights body urges investigation into killing in Zawiyya
On 6 February in the afternoon, an 18-year old man was killed by gunmen on al-Daman Street in the center of Zawiyya. The National Institution for...
ISA refutes UN report’s claims on arbitrary detention of migrants.
In a press conference on 5 February, the Internal Security Agency (ISA) said it deplored and condemned all that is stated in the UN Panel of Experts...
West Coast Military District continues military operation in al-Ajilat
On 4 February, West Coast Military Police Commander Ali al-Zeeb inspected the progress of the military operation in al-Ajilat. He visited...
263 illegal immigrants rescued in al-Wahat district
On 30 January, the Criminal Investigation Agency announced the rescue of 263 illegal immigrants in al-Wahat district and the arrest of two members...
West Coast Military District continues security operation in Zawiyya
On 29 January, West Coast Military District Commander and Libyan Army Deputy Chief of Staff (CoS) Salaheddin al-Namroush had a meeting at the...
West Coast Military District carries out raids and holds security meetings in al-Ajilat
On 28 January, the West Coast Military District said that a large wine factory run by a criminal gang was raided by the Military Police in...
Aqeela Saleh’s grandson accused of murder in al-Qubba
On the evening of 25 January, Aqeela Belqassim Aqeela Saleh, the grandson of House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh, killed Hamad...
Khaled Haftar visits airbase near Tubruq
On 24 January, Khaled Khalifa Haftar, Chief of Staff of the Libyan National Army's (LNA) Security Units, visited the Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase...
Zawiyya clashes shift to al-Ajilat
On 24 January, two persons were wounded in armed clashes between the 103rd Infantry Brigade (aka the Silaa Brigade or al-Kabwat) from Zawiyya led by...
East-West security actors to establish joint information centre
On 24 January, the joint technical coordination team composed of the Eastern and Western military and security institutions agreed on a project to...
Insecurity rises in Zawiyya amid rumours around control of the refinery
On 24 January, there was a rumour that Zawiyya militia leader Muhammad Kashlaf aka al-Qasseb gave the troops of the Libyan Army West Coast Military...
Clashes break out between al-Far and Trabelsi forces in western Tripoli
There have been clashes in western Tripoli this week amid apparent tensions between Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of Interior (MoI)...
Tensions rise in Misrata over arrest of 17 February Movement leader
On 16 January, Othman al-Taher Issa, a leader of the Misrata 17 February Movement, was arrested by the Misrata Joint Force, which is led by Omar Abu...
Outrage over videos of abuse of prisoners in Qarnada prison in eastern Libya
On 12 January, activists circulated videos showing horrific abuse and torture of detainees at the notorious Qarnada prison south of the city of...
LNA reshuffles 128 brigade as tensions rise between Saddam Haftar and commander al-Zadma
After weeks of mounting tensions between Saddam Haftar, who has been tasked with securing the South, and Hassan al-Zadma, the powerful commander of...
Clashes in al-Ajilat kill several people
On 11 January, some heavy fighting with light and medium infantry weapons took place west of al Ajaylat (southwest of Sabratha) between Othman...
West Coast Military District secures Zawiyya refinery
On 7 January, the West Coast Military Region announced in a statement the activation of fixed deployment points and mobile patrols around Zawiyya...
Anti-Dabaiba protests continue in several cities
On 7 January in the evening, there was a second night of protests in Tripoli, Misrata, Zawiyya, Bani Walid, Sabratha, Zintan and other cities...
Protests after Mangoush claims Dabaiba intended to normalise relations with Israel
On 6 January, the Athir platform, which is affiliated with the digital sector of the Al Jazeera Network, published an interview with the former...
West coast military launches wide operation in Zawiyya
On 2 January, there were armed clashes between armed gangs near the al-Jumhouriya Bank in central Zawiyya causing panic among citizens. During the...
East-west tensions rise in Awbari
On 31 December, the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced that it had taken control of Camp Tendi in Awbari the evening before, due to the failure of...
Concerns over Audit Bureau independence amid efforts to relocate its HQ
On 19 December, reports emerged that the Audit Bureau had been forced to relocate from its headquarters in the Dhara area of Tripoli to the Guest...
Force majeure declared at Zawiyya refinery after nearby clashes
On 15 December, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared a state of force majeure and emergency of the third degree (maximum) after a number of...
SSA denies reports on military tensions with 444 Brigade in Tripoli
On 12 December in the afternoon, both the Stability Support Agency (SSA) and the 444 Brigade deployed a number of troops to the surroundings of...
Heavy rain and flooding hit the greater capital area
On 5 December, very heavy rain started to pour down on the greater Tripoli area. The Tripoli Security Directorate called on all citizens not to...
Fighting breaks out between Rada and 55th Wershefana Battalion
On 27 November in the afternoon, fighting broke out at a checkpoint of the 55th Wershefana Battalion at al-Najila (in the Wershefana tribal area, 7...
Clashes continue in Zawiyya
On 26 November in the early morning, there was fighting in central Zawiyya, in residential neighbourhoods in the area of the al-Rukaina roundabout,...
Dabaiba distances himself from Trabelsi’s morality police
On 23 November, Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba spoke at a Youth Forum in Misrata at which he attempted to...
Renewed tensions and assassinations in Zawiyya and Surman
On 21 November, in the morning, the dead body of an obviously murdered young man was found in the al-Malaha (Salt) Road area about 12 km south of...
As winter approaches, Libyan human rights groups call for urgent action to help Sudanese refugees
On 19 November, Jaber Bouajila from the Libyan Human Rights Organization called on Libyan authorities in the East and West to protect Sudanese...
Tensions continue between Zintanis and the 444 Brigade in al-Hamada al-Hamra
On 15 November, the Zintani-led Southwest Branch of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) reinforced its forces around the oilfields in the al-Hamada...
Zintan withdraws forces after kidnapped Zintani intelligence official released
On 12 November, in the evening, the head of the Central Security Department of the Libyan Intelligence Service (LIS) Brigadier General Mustafa...
Tensions continue between 444 Brigade and the Zintani PFG
On 8 November in the evening, the Zintani-led Southwest Branch of the PFG (again) stopped a 444 Brigade patrol in the vicinity of an oilfield in the...