File image.
Heavy clashes broke out in the southern districts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after the killing of a powerful militia leader late on May 12, with authorities imposing a curfew.
Libyan media reported that Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, widely known as “Gheniwa”, who is the head of the powerful Stability Support Authority (SSA) militia, was killed inside the Takbali military camp in southern Tripoli after a dispute with other militia leaders.
The SSA, one of the most powerful militia groups in Tripoli, is backed by the Presidential Council, which came to power in 2021 with the GNU of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah through a United Nations-recognized process.
The Misrata-based Combined Joint Task Force, a faction of the Libyan Army commanded by the internationally-recognized GNU, and Syrian mercenaries, who were brought to Libya in 2020 by Turkey, were reportedly behind the killing of Gheniwa.
Videos posted to social networks showed convoys rushing to the capital, gunmen at Mitiga International Airport, as well as heavy gun fire and fires.
Deputy Minister of Transport Wissam Al-Idrisi confirmed the temporary suspension of air traffic at Mitiga. However, airport director Ibrahim Farkash claimed that air operations remained technically unaffected and “airspace is safe and open.”
The GNU’s Ministry of Internal Affairs urged residents to stay home and avoid movement, warning of further instability, Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education suspended classes across Tripoli on May 13, citing the deteriorating security situation.
Later, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that it was “alarmed by the unfolding security situation in Tripoli with intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas.”
“The Mission calls on all parties to immediately cease fighting and restore calm, and reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians at all times,” the mission said in a post to the X social network, noting that “attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes.”
The Libyan Ambulance Service announced that at least six people were wounded as a result of the clashes in southern Tripoli.
Early on May 13, the GNU’s media platform said that the Ministry of Defense had fully taken control of the Abu Salim neighborhood. However, tensions remained high in the capital.
Libya plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is now split between the GNU in Tripoli, which is supported by an array of militia groups and Syrian mercenaries, and a rival government based in Benghazi backed by the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army.
The GNU has been especially struggling in brining in military groups in Tripoli and the rest of western Libya under control. Efforts to reunify and integrate the groups have repeatedly failed.
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