Heavy gunfire, clashes in Libya's Tripoli after killing of militia leader
The appeal early on Tuesday came as residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions across multiple neighbourhoods from about 9pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday.
Al Jazeera's Malik Traina, reporting from Libya's Misrata, said security sources had confirmed the killing of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, widely known as 'Gheniwa', who is the head of the powerful Stability Support Authority (SSA) militia.
Gunfire and clashes then consumed several parts of Tripoli.
Al-Kikli was one of the capital's most influential militia leaders and had recently been involved in disputes with rival armed groups, including factions linked to Misrata. His SSA is under the Presidential Council, which came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah through a UN-recognised process.
Traina said that at least six people have been wounded, although it remains unclear whether they are security force members or civilians.
In a statement shortly after the clashes began, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it was 'alarmed by the unfolding security situation in Tripoli, with intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas'.
UNSMIL added that it 'calls on all parties to immediately cease fighting and restore calm, and reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians at all times'.
UNSMIL is 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… pic.twitter.com/SZ8oKgZ1p8
— UNSMIL (@UNSMILibya) May 12, 2025UNSMIL voiced support for local mediation efforts, particularly those led by elders and community leaders, emphasising the need to protect civilians amid mounting tensions.
The GNU's Ministry of Internal Affairs urged residents to stay home and avoid movement, warning of further instability, while the Ministry of Education suspended classes across Tripoli on Tuesday, citing the deteriorating security situation.
The GNU's media platform said early on Tuesday that the Ministry of Defence had fully taken control of the Abu Salim neighbourhood.
'I heard heavy gunfire, and I saw red lights in the sky,' one resident told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
Two others told Reuters that the gunfire was echoing all over their neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Salah Eddin.
Videos and images online showed plumes of black smoke amid the sound of gunfire, as well as armed men in the streets and convoys entering the city.
Footage verified by Al Jazeera's Sanad fact-checking agency captured the sound of medium-calibre gunfire in several neighbourhoods, including areas where the SSA militia is known to operate.
Several districts have seen what local sources describe as 'suspicious military manoeuvres', with convoys arriving from Az-Zawiyah, Zintan and Misrata – seen by many as preparations for a possible showdown in the capital.
Al Jazeera's Traina said the renewed clashes have prompted anger and worry.
'People are angry that every time these armed groups clash, civilians are caught in the crossfire,' he said, adding that residents are demanding 'accountability'.
'When these groups fight and people are killed, no one is held responsible. Locals want justice, and expect the authorities to hold those behind the violence accountable,' he said.
Libya plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The oil-rich nation has been governed for most of the past decade by rival governments in eastern and western Libya, each backed by an array of fighter groups and foreign governments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
09-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Greece to halt migrant asylum processing from North Africa
Greece will suspend the processing of asylum applications from individuals arriving from North Africa for three months. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the decision in parliament on Wednesday amid an uptick of arrivals – an estimated 2,000 migrants and refugees have landed on Crete since the weekend, leading to anger among local authorities and tourism operators. 'With legislation that will be submitted to the parliament tomorrow, Greece will suspend the examination of asylum applications, initially for three months, for those arriving in Greece from North Africa by sea,' Mitsotakis told parliament. 'Migrants who enter the country illegally will be arrested and detained,' Mitsotakis added. The conservative leader said legislation would be put to a vote in the chamber on Thursday, and that Athens was keeping the European Union informed on the issue. Mitsotakis said Greece's navy and coastguard were willing to cooperate with Libyan authorities to keep migrant boats from leaving the country's territorial waters, or to turn them back before entering Greek waters. Sea arrivals of people departing from northeastern Libya and attempting to reach Europe via Greece's southern islands of Crete and Gavdos have exceeded 7,300 so far this year, according to estimates by the Greek government and aid organisations. In contrast, total arrivals in 2024 stood at about 5,000. The sharp increase has strained both islands, which lack formal migrant reception centres and have faced difficulties in securing temporary accommodation. The migrants mainly come from the Middle East and North Africa, including nationals from Sudan and Egypt, and also from countries including Bangladesh. 'Illegal' In a statement on social media, the Greek Council for Refugees demanded that there be no suspension of asylum, calling it 'illegal' and a violation of international law. The group accused the government of using the increased influx of migrants and refugees as an 'excuse', saying it 'only demonstrates Greece's inability to guarantee basic fundamental rights'. Greece rescued about 520 people off Gavdos early on Wednesday and was taking them to the mainland, the Greek coastguard said. The Mediterranean nation was on the front line of the 2015-2016 migration crisis when more than one million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed into Europe.
Al Jazeera
08-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Israeli strike kills at least three people in northern Lebanon
An Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least three people and injured 13 others, Lebanon's Health Ministry says, in the latest breach of a ceasefire between the two countries. The attack in the Ayrounieh area on Tuesday came as Israel intensifies its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah's weakened position, the Lebanese army's inability to fight back and the international community's failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce. The strike near Lebanon's northernmost major city – more than 180km (110 miles) from the Israeli border – highlights Israel's willingness to launch assaults across the country, not just in the south. The Israeli military claimed that it struck a 'key' figure from the Palestinian group Hamas without identifying the target. A Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon's Annahar newspaper reported that initial reports indicated that the assassination attempt might have failed. Hamas and other Palestinian groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in refugee camps that have housed Palestinians for decades. Tripoli is home to the large Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has carried out attacks against the Lebanese group Hezbollah and members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon. Hamas's deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024. While the ceasefire last year ended the conflict, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks have also targeted homes, municipal workers and civilian infrastructure. On Monday, at least one person was killed in a suspected Israeli air attack on a van in the town of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon. The recent attacks were launched as United States envoy Thomas Barrack was in Lebanon for a two-day visit to discuss disarming Hezbollah. On Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Barrack told reporters he was 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon's reply to a US proposal on taking away Hezbollah's weapons. Barrack, a longtime adviser to US President Donald Trump who also serves as US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said he believed 'the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon'. 'Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities and a road to peace,' he said. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem ruled out giving up the group's weapons before Israel withdraws from the areas it still occupies in southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire.
Al Jazeera
17-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
At least 60 people ‘feared dead' after shipwrecks off the coast of Libya
At least 60 refugees and migrants are feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said, after attempting the perilous crossing to Europe. 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' Othman Belbeisi, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. One shipwreck occurred on June 12 near Alshab port in Tripolitania, the United Nations agency said. Only five survivors were found and 21 people were reported missing. Among those feared dead are six Eritreans, including three women and three children, five Pakistanis, four Egyptians and two Sudanese men. The identities of four others remain unknown. The second incident occurred on June 13, approximately 35km (22 miles) west of Libya's Tobruk. According to the sole survivor, who was rescued by fishermen, 39 people are missing. At least 743 people have died so far this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route, which remains the deadliest known migration route in the world. In recent years, the European Union has increased efforts to reduce such migration, including by providing equipment and financial support to the Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military organisation linked to militias accused of abuses and other crimes. NGOs say the phasing out of state-run search and rescue operations has made journeys across the Mediterranean more dangerous. They have also denounced what they see as punitive action by states against charities operating in the Mediterranean. As a result, many people fleeing conflict and persecution have found themselves stranded in Libya, often held in detention in conditions that rights groups describe as inhumane. Libya, which is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been criticised for its treatment of refugees and migrants. Accusations from rights groups range from extortion to slavery, while smugglers and human traffickers have also taken advantage of the climate of instability in the country.
