Libyan actors
Tracking developments of Libyan Actors in Libya’s security space including armed group activity, state security operations and political activities pertaining to Libya’s security.
Violent clashes erupt between rival clans in Zawiyya
On 28 August, violent clashes erupted in the city of Zawiyya after a young man from the al-Awis clan was killed in an ambush by a member of the rival Bin Nasr clan, reportedly during a dispute over a stolen car, after he was lured to the house of the killers. In...
Vessel seized by Spanish authorities for taking military equipment from UAE to Benghazi
Spanish media has reported that on 27 August, the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Lila Mumbai, number 9253143, had been detained on suspicion of transporting military equipment to Benghazi. It was held in the waters off the Spanish port of Ceuta for four days as...
Various condemnations against mobilisations in and around Tripoli amid calls for de-escalation
Various social and political groups, as well as key security figures, have condemned or protested against the mobilisations and war-footing of the pro-Dabaiba armed groups in and around Tripoli, while UNSMIL has called for de-escalation. On 27 August, Misrata hosted a...
GNU ramps up pressure on Rada amid intense negotiations
The Government of National Unity (GNU) and pro-Dabaiba forces have ramped up their pressure against Rada, demanding they hand over Mitiga Airport. The same day (27 August), the Joint Operations Room of the Ministry of Defense issued a ‘final warning’ to the Special...
Misratan mobilisations to Tripoli ramp up
Since SRSG Hanna Tetteh presented UNSMIL’s new Libya roadmap to the UN Security Council on 21 August (which notably includes provision for a new, unified government), mobilisations by pro-Dabaiba groups and shows of force around Tripoli have been intensifying. On 26...
Al-Sisi discusses Sudan and maritime MoU with Haftar and Saleh
On 26 August, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh in El Alamein, Egypt. According to official information, the talks centred on the latest...
Libyan Coast Guard shoots at migrant rescue ships off the coast of Khoms
On 25 August, SOS Mediterranee announced that one of its rescue ships, the Ocean Viking -- with its European crew members aboard -- was shot at with small arms by a Libyan Coast Guard vessel in international waters off the coast of Khoms, after it rescued 87 migrants...
UNSMIL HQ in Tripoli targeted in rocket attack
On the evening of 21 August, the HQ of UNSMIL in Janzour was reportedly attacked with an SPG rocket while UN SRSG Hannah Tetteh was in the middle of her briefing to the UN Security Council in New York. Despite supposedly aiming for the entrance gate and the compound...
UNSMIL notes ‘increasing militarization’ amid volatile security situation in Libya
On 21 August, SRSG Hanna Tetteh gave her much-anticipated briefing to the UN Security Council (UNSC) in which she laid out a new political roadmap, with the aim of holding elections within 18 months. In her briefing, she said: “The security situation in the country...