Clashes reported in capital of Libya after armed group leader killed

Residents in Tripoli, the capital of the west of Libya, have reported hearing armed clashes in the streets after reports of the death of Abdulghani Kikli, an armed group leader has ignited tensions.

According to Saudi news agency Asharq Al-Awsat citing Reuters on May 13th, the clashes have come in the wake of the apparent death of the commander of Support Force Apparatus SSA – an armed group who are backed by the government in Libya – and are one of Tripoli’s powerful armed groups who are based in the populated Abu Salim district.

The SSA is under the protection of the Presidential Council after the election of the Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah came to power in 2021 through a United Nations-backed process.

The reported killing comes at a time when tensions are rising in western Libya with the Tripoli protection forces having recently warned armed militias of “violent and unprecedented retaliation to any military advance on Tripoli.”

The GNU has called on residents to stay indoors for “their own safety” and used their media platforms to announce that they had taken full control of the Abu Salim district.

Violent clashes have erupted across western Libya since the beginning of the year, often taking place in busy, residential areas of cities and towns across the country.

Therefore the current state of affairs doesn’t come as a surprise to residents in Tripoli however the shock can still be felt with one resident telling Reuters that “I heard heavy gunfire, and I saw red lights in the sky”

Basic day to day life has been halted in the city with the University of Tripoli taking to Facebook to announce the suspension of studies, exams and administrative work.

The United Nations has stepped in to call for calm on all sides and to make clear that any attacks on civilians or civilian infrastructure accounts to a war crime.

Asharq Al-Awsat/ Reuters/ Maghrebi