ISIS in action

The effects of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s declaration of an Islamic caliphate in Iraq are already being felt in Libya. The leader of the Abu Mahjan Al-Ta’ifi Brigade, which refers to itself as ‘Al-Qa’ida in Libya’, has openly declared the group’s support for Baghdadi and sent 50 men, including fighters, doctors, and engineers, to Iraq to support ISIS.

Violence has continued, especially in Benghazi where General Khalifa Haftar is still battling it out against Islamist militants. Meanwhile, Tripoli and its environs have been witness to an increase in kidnappings and violence, with three Europeans being abducted this week from Zuwara. Insecurity has also persisted to the west of the capital with competing militias clashing.

Prominent militia critic and civil society activist, Salwa Bughagis, was killed after casting her vote in the parliamentary election, demonstrating the escalation of violence in Libya.

The fall of Mosul, Iraq risks boosting morale and aggressiveness of extremists in Libya.

An Ansar al-Sharia leader in Derna and a senior police officer in Benghazi were assassinated.

In Derna, heavy clashes occurred between Ansar al-Sharia and Abu Salim Martyrs’ Brigade, including two car bombs and various assassination attempts.

Even before the Tubruq/Tripoli split and the rise of ISIS, Libya’s politics had ossified into a confrontation between two loose umbrella groupings, with each containing different militias as well as local and national political actors: the Islamist bloc which holds power in the GNC and their anti-Islamist opponents who have held the power in the executive from November 2012 until May 2014.