Latest news with #444Brigade


Libya Review
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Libya Review
Foreign-Led Human Trafficking Ring Arrested in Libya
Libya's elite 444 Brigade has announced the arrest of one of the most dangerous foreign criminals operating in the country — a Ghanaian national known as Saeed, nicknamed 'Biggie' — in a major security operation that also led to the rescue of 11 kidnapped women. In a statement issued Monday, the brigade confirmed that one of its military units successfully raided a large compound used by Biggie to detain and exploit foreign women. The location, originally housing migrant laborers, had been converted into a criminal den, where women were reportedly held against their will and forced into prostitution under threats of violence. The victims, of various nationalities, were rescued following precise surveillance and intelligence gathering, launched in response to multiple international alerts about the missing women. According to the statement, the operation was carried out late last night, resulting in the liberation of the victims and the capture of the suspect. Biggie is currently in custody and will be referred to the Public Prosecution Office for further legal procedures. The brigade reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling criminal networks operating within Libya and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly migrants. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations. Libya's economy, heavily reliant on oil, has suffered due to the ongoing conflict. The instability has led to fluctuations in oil production and prices, impacting the global oil market and Libya's economy. The conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in Libya, with thousands of people killed, and many more displaced. Migrants and refugees using Libya as a transit point to Europe have also faced dire conditions. The planned elections for December 2021 were delayed due to disagreements over election laws and the eligibility of certain candidates. This delay has raised concerns about the feasibility of a peaceful political transition. Despite the ceasefire, security remains a significant concern with sporadic fighting and the presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters. The unification of the military and the removal of foreign forces are crucial challenges. Tags: human traffickingkidnappinglibyatripoli


Middle East Eye
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Trump envoy Massad Boulos to visit Libya amid rising tensions, sources say
US envoy Massad Boulos is set to make his first official visit to Libya next week amid rising tensions in the capital city of Tripoli and neighbouring Sudan, a US official and an Arab source told Middle East Eye. Boulos, who is Trump's senior advisor to Africa, was supposed to travel to Libya earlier this year, the sources said, but Egyptian officials complained, saying they wanted him to visit Cairo first. Boulos met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Hassan Rashad, in May. Egypt is one of the main external powers in Libya. Ties between Egypt and the US have become strained over Washington's reassessment of military aid to Cairo and Trump's call earlier this year for a forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, MEE previously reported. In Libya, Boulos is expected to visit Tripoli first, home to the United Nations-recognised government, and then travel to Benghazi in eastern Libya, which is controlled by a parallel government backed by General Khalifa Haftar and his sons. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Boulos's office did not respond to MEE's request for comment. The envoy's visit comes as Libya's powerful militias and politicians jostle for power. In May, Tripoli was convulsed by fighting between rival militias that killed at least eight people. The clashes started after the 444 Brigade loyal to Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah killed the leader of a rival group. The 444 Brigade then launched attacks on a Salafist militia called the Rada Deterrence Force, which controls Tripoli's main airport. Dbeibah was appointed president in 2021 as a consensus candidate with a mandate to usher Libya into elections. The vote never took place. There have been regular protests against Dbeibah. Boulos has been in discussions with Dbeibah's top advisor about unlocking billions of dollars in sanctioned frozen wealth funds, MEE was the first to reveal. The two sides discussed putting some funds into investments with US companies in Libya. NBC later reported that in exchange for releasing the funds, the Trump administration pressed the government to accept up to 1 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli assault since 7 October 2023, after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. Saddam Haftar comes to the fore The instability in Tripoli has allowed Khalifa Haftar's family to lobby for support. Khalifa Haftar is 81 years old. His son Saddam is being cultivated as a likely successor, US and Arab officials tell MEE. Libya and Trump administration discussed sharing billions of dollars in frozen funds, sources say Read More » Saddam's stock is rising with the new Trump administration, especially in national security circles, the US official and Arab source told MEE. Saddam made a high-profile visit to Washington in April, where he met Boulos at the State Department. More importantly, he held a meeting with several senior US intelligence officials in Washington, the sources told MEE. That meeting has not been previously reported. Saddam has also been making overtures to countries traditionally closer to the government in Tripoli. He has visited Qatar and Turkey for support. This week, he visited Italy. Libya has been divided since the Nato-led removal of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The civil war became a proxy conflict with Russia, the UAE, Egypt, and France backing Haftar and Turkey supporting the government in Tripoli. In 2019, Trump gave his tacit approval for the elder Haftar's bid to take over Tripoli. The attack failed when Turkey intervened. The battle lines in Libya have become more convoluted in recent years. Sudan spillover A case in point is the competing interests among external powers in Sudan. Although Egypt and the UAE both support Haftar's government, they are backing opposing sides in the Sudanese civil war. Egypt has thrown its support behind Sudan's army along with Iran and Turkey, while the UAE is backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Haftar has facilitated the shipment of arms to the RSF. 'You made a mistake trying to leave': Crossing enemy lines in the heart of Sudan Read More » Boulos has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Egyptian officials want Boulos to make progress on preventing a spillover of the Libyan and Sudanese conflicts, an Egyptian official told MEE. However, following their May meeting, the Egyptians assessed that his influence would be limited, the source said. Politico reported in May that Trump has curbed Boulos's influence. The US and Arab sources told MEE that expectations for Boulos's trip were low on all sides. The RSF said on Wednesday it seized a strategic zone on the border with Egypt and Libya. The announcements came a day after forces loyal to Haftar launched a cross-border attack alongside the RSF, the first allegation of direct Libyan involvement in the Sudanese war. The attack is likely to strain ties between Haftar and Egypt.


Arab News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UN welcomes new Libya safety and rights committees
TRIPOLI: The United Nations mission in Libya on Saturday welcomed the formation of two committees by the Libyan presidential council to address safety and human rights after recent deadly clashes in Tripoli. UNSMIL said the committees were 'composed of key parties,' with one aimed at 'strengthening security arrangements to prevent the outbreak of fighting and ensure the protection of civilians.' The second committee was tasked with 'addressing human rights concerns in detention facilities, including widespread arbitrary detention,' it added. Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi. Last month, its capital was rocked by days of deadly fighting between rival armed groups that left at least eight people dead, according to the UN. The violence was sparked by the killing of Abdelghani Al-Kikli, the leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA) armed group, by the government-backed 444 Brigade, which later took on another rival faction, Radaa. It also came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle armed groups that he later said had 'become stronger than the state.' Earlier this week, the Libyan presidential council announced the creation of the committees in a move that Dbeibah described as necessary 'to strengthen the rule of law.' The safety committee was tasked with drafting a plan to disarm non-state actors in Tripoli and strengthen the control of official security forces, the council said. And the human rights committee will monitor conditions in detention centers and review cases of people detained without judicial oversight. This came after UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk raised alarm over 'gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities' run by the SSA group. UNSMIL said it was 'committed to providing technical support' to the newly formed committees. 'UNSMIL stresses that these committees come at a crucial moment when Libyans are demanding meaningful reform, accountable and democratic state institutions,' it said.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Libyans fear return of deadly violence as Eid begins
Residents of the Libyan capital were preparing for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha in relative peace after deadly clashes last month, but they were unconvinced it would outlast the festivities. With celebrations set for Friday, Randa al-Mahmoudi, a schoolteacher in her thirties, said she was trying to keep life steady for her three children. "We try, at least for the children, to do things as usual, without thinking about what might happen," she said, shopping in a supermarket in Siyahiya, a western district of Tripoli. "Otherwise, we can't live." Despite "everything looking normal in Tripoli with traffic jams, open shops and schools, and flights operating," Mahmoudi said, she "can feel something is off". Nureddin al-Shaouesh, a 48-year-old radio technician, said his children would "tremble when they hear wedding fireworks", thinking they were gunshots in the capital. Another local, Hamza al-Ahmar, 39, wondered: "What will happen after Eid? That's the question on everyone's mind." The Libyan capital was rocked in May by several days of fighting between rival armed groups. The 444 Brigade, aligned with the Tripoli-based government, fought several powerful rival factions in control of various areas of the city. Libya is split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi. - Fragile truce - The clashes were sparked by the killing of Abdelghani al-Kikli, the leader of the SSA armed group, by the 444 Brigade, which later took on another rival faction, Radaa. The fighting came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle armed groups that he later said had "become stronger than the state". A fragile truce ensued, but many Tripolitans remained on edge after the clashes, which killed at least eight people, according to the United Nations. "On the surface, things are calm," said Fathi Shibli, a 64-year-old retired teacher. "But I wouldn't say it's a return to normal. People are afraid of new fights because the root of the problem is yet to be resolved." The area once under SSA control has since been taken over by the 444 Brigade, which claimed to have discovered a mass grave there containing dozens of bodies. On Wednesday, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk raised alarm over "gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities run by the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) force in Tripoli". - 'We'll see what happens' - The UN support mission in Libya said "10 charred bodies" were found at the SSA headquarters in Abu Salim, its former stronghold in the capital, while "a total of 67 bodies in refrigerators" were discovered at two local hospitals. A burial site was also reportedly found in Tripoli's zoo, formerly managed by the SSA. "We'll see what happens," said Mahmoudi. "There's a new reality in Tripoli after Gheniwa's death and the tensions with Radaa." Hundreds of people -- mostly from the Radaa-controlled Souq al-Joumaa district -- have protested for the past three Fridays in the capital to demand Dbeibah's resignation. "I want him gone, but with the current chaos and a rival government in the East watching closely, toppling this government would be a mistake," said Ahmar. Shibli said the issue was beyond the UN-backed premier, citing inefficiencies across the board: "Dbeibah's departure won't fix the crisis. He's just one part of the problem." Presidential and parliamentary elections under UN supervision were scheduled for December 2021, but they were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved disputes between the country's eastern and western powers. bur-fka/iba/bou/dcp


France 24
05-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Libyans fear return of deadly violence as Eid begins
With celebrations set for Friday, Randa al-Mahmoudi, a schoolteacher in her thirties, said she was trying to keep life steady for her three children. "We try, at least for the children, to do things as usual, without thinking about what might happen," she said, shopping in a supermarket in Siyahiya, a western district of Tripoli. "Otherwise, we can't live." Despite "everything looking normal in Tripoli with traffic jams, open shops and schools, and flights operating," Mahmoudi said, she "can feel something is off". Nureddin al-Shaouesh, a 48-year-old radio technician, said his children would "tremble when they hear wedding fireworks", thinking they were gunshots in the capital. Another local, Hamza al-Ahmar, 39, wondered: "What will happen after Eid? That's the question on everyone's mind." The Libyan capital was rocked in May by several days of fighting between rival armed groups. The 444 Brigade, aligned with the Tripoli-based government, fought several powerful rival factions in control of various areas of the city. Libya is split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi. Fragile truce The clashes were sparked by the killing of Abdelghani al-Kikli, the leader of the SSA armed group, by the 444 Brigade, which later took on another rival faction, Radaa. The fighting came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle armed groups that he later said had "become stronger than the state". A fragile truce ensued, but many Tripolitans remained on edge after the clashes, which killed at least eight people, according to the United Nations. "On the surface, things are calm," said Fathi Shibli, a 64-year-old retired teacher. "But I wouldn't say it's a return to normal. People are afraid of new fights because the root of the problem is yet to be resolved." The area once under SSA control has since been taken over by the 444 Brigade, which claimed to have discovered a mass grave there containing dozens of bodies. On Wednesday, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk raised alarm over "gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities run by the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) force in Tripoli". 'We'll see what happens' The UN support mission in Libya said "10 charred bodies" were found at the SSA headquarters in Abu Salim, its former stronghold in the capital, while "a total of 67 bodies in refrigerators" were discovered at two local hospitals. A burial site was also reportedly found in Tripoli's zoo, formerly managed by the SSA. "We'll see what happens," said Mahmoudi. "There's a new reality in Tripoli after Gheniwa's death and the tensions with Radaa." Hundreds of people -- mostly from the Radaa-controlled Souq al-Joumaa district -- have protested for the past three Fridays in the capital to demand Dbeibah's resignation. "I want him gone, but with the current chaos and a rival government in the East watching closely, toppling this government would be a mistake," said Ahmar. Shibli said the issue was beyond the UN-backed premier, citing inefficiencies across the board: "Dbeibah's departure won't fix the crisis. He's just one part of the problem." Presidential and parliamentary elections under UN supervision were scheduled for December 2021, but they were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved disputes between the country's eastern and western powers.