Fighting broke out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on the evening of May 12. Gunfire was heard in several areas of the city after reports of the killing of a leader of one of the armed groups.
Reuters reports this.
According to media reports, Abdelghani Kikli, known as Haniwa, commander of the Support Force Apparatus (SSA), a powerful armed formation in the capital based in the densely populated Abu Salim district, was killed.
The SSA is subordinate to the Presidential Council, which came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdelhamid Dbeyba in a UN-backed process. The Ministry of Interior is urging citizens to stay at home for security reasons.
On the morning of May 13, the GNU media platform reported that the countryʼs Ministry of Defense had taken full control of Abu Salim. Local residents reported hearing intense gunfire and seeing red lights in the sky — not only in Abu Salim, but also in the Salah al-Din district.
The University of Tripoli administration has temporarily suspended studies, exams and administrative work in all faculties, departments and divisions. The UN mission in Libya has called on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and "restore calm".
"Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure may constitute war crimes," the missionʼs representatives reminded.
Armed groups operate in the capital and in the northwest of the country, where the internationally recognized GNA and most state institutions are located. They compete and vie for control of Libyaʼs vast economic resources, leading to occasional clashes between them.
- Libya has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. The country split into warring eastern and western parts in 2014. Although major fighting stopped after a ceasefire agreement in 2020, the political crisis has not been resolved.
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