Fighting in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has ceased following intensive communications between various rival factions and official military figures, after one faction released the leader of the other side.
On Tuesday, Tripoli experienced the worst violence this year with clashes erupting between two armed factions. The Emergency and Support Medical Center in Tripoli reported that 27 people were killed and over 100 injured in the violence, although it did not specify whether these figures included both fighters and civilians. The Special Deterrence Force and the 444th Brigade are among the strongest armed groups in Tripoli, and fighting broke out between them in the city's neighborhoods starting Monday. Thick smoke rose over parts of the city, and heavy gunfire echoed in the streets, with fighting erupting in various areas of the capital.
The clashes between the two factions ended a relative calm that had lasted for months in Tripoli. They had previously supported the interim Government of National Unity during brief battles last year. Libya has enjoyed little peace or security since the 2011 uprising backed by NATO, and it has been divided between warring factions in the east and west since 2014. A 2020 offensive by Eastern Libya forces (the Libyan National Army) against Tripoli was halted by a ceasefire that ended most major fighting, while Turkey, which supported the Tripoli government, maintained its military presence in Libya.
However, there has been little progress toward a permanent political solution to the conflict, and the armed factions on the ground, which have gained official status and funding, continue to wield significant influence. Last year, factions supporting a rival government announced by the eastern parliament attempted to overthrow Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, resulting in violent clashes lasting a day in Tripoli. Sporadic battles also rocked the city of Zawiya, west of the capital, that year.
Fighting began late Monday evening after the Special Deterrence Force, which controls the main Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, detained Mahmoud Hamza, the leader of the 444th Brigade, while he was attempting to travel. The fighting continued until last night. The Special Deterrence Force has been one of the main armed factions in Tripoli for years, controlling the Mitiga area and the surrounding coastal region, including part of the main road leading east. The 444th Brigade controls large sections of the capital and areas to the south of Tripoli.
Hamza, a former officer in the Special Deterrence Force, played a key role in mediating tensions between other armed factions. A witness from Reuters noted that another significant faction in Tripoli, the Stability Support Agency, deployed fighters and vehicles in the streets in areas under its control but did not participate in the clashes.
The fighting ceased following an agreement that involved the Special Deterrence Force handing over Hamza to the Stability Support Agency and the return of fighters to their bases, as announced by the city elders who negotiated the agreement via television screens.
