On 7 January, PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba received a delegation from the North Zawiyya municipality, which was led by the mayor, to review ongoing projects in sectors such as education, health, and infrastructure. It focused on the municipality’s needs, the progress of current projects, and the obstacles hindering their completion. Dabaiba instructed the relevant authorities to provide full support, accelerate implementation, and ensure continuity of essential services while adhering to planned timelines. The mayor affirmed the council’s readiness to cooperate with state institutions to facilitate the projects and improve services for residents.
On the Government of National Unity (GNU) side, the meeting was attended by senior government officials like the head of the executive team for the PM’s initiatives and strategic projects Mustafa al-Manea. Among the members of the Zawiyya delegation was Muhammad Kashlaf aka al-Qasseb, one of the most important militia leaders of the city and a main rival to Muhammed Bahroun aka al-Far. Al-Qasseb was accompanied by his right-hand man Alaa Nasr.
The Libyan National Human Rights Institution strongly condemned Dabaiba for receiving al-Qasseb, who has been under UN sanctions since 2018. The organization stressed that al-Qasseb is accused of grave abuses, including human trafficking, migrant exploitation, extortion, and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. It said the meeting represents a blatant breach of UN Security Council resolutions and suggests possible links between state bodies and criminal networks involved in fuel and migrant smuggling.
The institution urged the government to arrest al-Qasseb and hand him over to judicial authorities, noting that he leads the Shuhada al-Nasr (Nasr Brigade) militia in Zawiyya, which controls the Zawiyya refinery and operates illegal detention centers for migrants. It called on the PM and the GNU to respect the law, comply with international obligations, and ensure accountability for those wanted domestically and internationally.