Libya: Tripoli government and armed militia on the brink of war

The Prime Minister of Tripoli’s Government of National Unity called for the Special Deterrence Force to relinquish control of Mitiga airport and prison in an interview on July 6th which sparked threats of war, according to the Libya Observer, a Tripoli based outlet.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah explained that “we want to reclaim the state, and we cannot leave an airport or port outside the state’s control.”

The Special Deterrence Force is an anti-government armed militia who have been accused by the Prime Minister of harbouring 125 people who are wanted by the Attorney General, hence the urgency to disband the group.

Prime Minister Dbeibah also brought to attention that a senior commander in the Special Deterrence Force, Osama Najem, is wanted by the International Criminal Court.

In his interview on July 6th, the Prime Minister demanded that the inmates of Mitiga prison must be referred to the Office of the Attorney General and control of the Mitiga airport must be handed over to the Ministry of Transport.

He warned that “the message is clear to everyone. Whoever rejects these conditions, I will not guarantee what will happen to him.”

Since the overthrow of Libya’s longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the nation has been in civil war and proxy conflicts, with many armed rival militias fighting for power in Tripoli, the nation’s capital.

Maghrebi reported on June 26th that the Committee for Communication has warned that the lack of a strong ceasefire agreement between armed groups in Tripoli puts the city under serious threat.

In response to the Prime Minister’s statements in his interview, the Souq al-Jumaa Movement, who are controlled by the Special Deterrence Force and are orchestrating anti-government protests, made a response which is a clear escalation.

“It’s a war of survival and existence and we will not give up an inch of Tripoli and Souq al-Jumaa,” the statement reads. “Whoever chooses to confront us must bear the consequences, because this time there is no going back and no negotiation.”

Mediation efforts between the Special Deterrence Force and the government have already failed multiple times according to the Libya Observer, and now it seems the armed group is ready to give up trying to negotiate.

Libya Observer, Maghrebi.org