2023-08-15 15:12:25
Smoke caused by clashes between armed groups affiliated with the government of national unity, established in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, on August 15, 2023. MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP
Two people were killed in Libya during violent clashes between two influential armed groups near Tripoli, on the night of Monday August 14 to Tuesday August 15, leading to the suspension of flights and the evacuation of planes in the only civilian airport of the capital.
The fighting pitted the “Brigade 444” against the “Al-Radaa Force” in several areas of the eastern suburbs of Tripoli, an officer – who requested anonymity – from the Ministry of inside. A hospital source announced an initial toll of two dead and more than thirty injured.
These two groups are among the most influential in Tripoli, where one of the two governments vying for power in a country undermined since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 by divisions, fueled by the proliferation of groups armed with shifting allegiances.
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“Tensions have started” at the announcement of “the arrest by Al-Radaa of the leader of Brigade 444”affirmed the officer, specifying that “the forces were still mobilized, and access to Mitiga airport closed” Tuesday. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (Manul) said in a statement “follow with concern” these events and “their impact on civilians”calling for a “immediate de-escalation”au « dialogue » and to “preserving the progress made in terms of safety in recent years”.
Call for blood donations
According to local media, armored vehicles and armed pick-ups were deployed on Monday evening in several areas east and south of Tripoli after the arrest of the head of Brigade 444 at Mitiga airport, located in an area controlled by the Al-Radaa Force. Heavy gunfire, including heavy weaponry, rang out in Ain Zara, southeast of Tripoli, before spreading to other areas near the airport and the University of Tripoli, where classes have been suspended. Mitiga authorities stopped traffic and diverted flights to Misrata, 200 kilometers further east, also evacuating aircraft parked on the tarmac. The health ministry has called for blood donations and the establishment of safe corridors to evacuate families trapped in combat zones.
Brigade 444, which depends on the Ministry of Defence, is considered the most disciplined of the armed groups in western Libya. In particular, it controls the southern suburbs of Tripoli, but also the cities of Tarhouna and Beni Oualid, securing the roads linking the capital to the south of the country.
The Al-Radaa Force is a powerful militia that polices Tripoli, arresting both jihadists and common criminals. It presents itself as a security body independent of the interior and defense ministries, and controls the center and east of Tripoli as well as the Mitiga air base, the civilian airport, and a prison.
At the end of May, fighting between the two groups, even in crowded streets in the center of Tripoli, had caused minor injuries. In July and August 2022, clashes between Al-Radaa and other armed groups left around 50 dead in Tripoli.
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