On 23 July, clashes broke out between the Joint Operations Force (JOF) and the Mahjoub Brigade near Zreeg Junction in Misrata. Two casualties were reported including one combatant and one civilian bystander. The Mahjoub Brigade had been stationed at the Zreeg Junction and tasked with preventing armed groups from mobilising towards Tripoli. Clashes were triggered when Mahjoub forces attempted to block JOF forces from passing through the Junction. The Counter Terrorism Force Reserve Division is reported to have intervened to negotiate for the armed groups to stand down. The JOF released a statement claiming that an ’outlaw’ armed group had attacked them. The clashes were followed by an emergency meeting between key social, political, and security actors in Misrata who agreed on ceasefire provisions and rejected the use of violence. As part of the ceasefire, the JOF agreed that it would no longer participate in the contest for the executive and would cease to provide security to the Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister, Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, and GNU cabinet minister’s buildings. On 24 July, the JOF reportedly departed its headquarters on Tripoli Street and moved to a camp in Karim, south of Misrata.
