The worst fighting in Tripoli for years calmed down today after the government announced a ceasefire.
Clashes broke out on Monday night after reports that the leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA), Abdelghani al-Kikli, was killed. After calming Tuesday morning, the fighting reignited overnight.
The defence ministry said,
“Regular forces, in coordination with relevant security authorities, have begun taking the necessary measures to ensure calm, including the deployment of neutral units.”
The United Nations Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) stated that it was “deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in densely populated neighbourhoods of Tripoli”.
UNSMIL wrote on X that it “reiterates its calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in all areas, allowing for safe corridors for the evacuation of civilians trapped in intense conflict zones.”
Monday’s clashes appear to have consolidated the power of Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah, the prime minister of the divided country’s Government of National Unity (GNU).
Dbeibah ordered the dismantling of what he characterized as irregular armed groups.
Any prolonged fighting within Tripoli risks drawing factions from outside the capital, potentially causing a wider escalation between Libya’s many armed players.