Tripoli reforms western Libya’s fractured security landscape

Behind closed doors in Tripoli, Libya’s interior ministry has begun a sweeping effort to rebuild its security apparatus, a move that is being framed as a critical step towards improving public safety and reinforcing the rule of law across the country.

The Minister of Interior in the Government of National Unity, Emad Al-Trabelsi, said on February 22 that the ministry has started reorganising the security system, as reported by the Libya Observer. He said the process aims to make security bodies more effective in carrying out both their legal and operational responsibilities, particularly through reforms at the level of security directorates.

Libya’s security landscape contrasts greatly between its eastern and western authorities. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity in the west operates through a fragmented, decentralised network of militias, which are often referred to as  security directorates, auxiliary forces, stabilization units, and specialized policing bodies.

In comparison the eastern authorities led by Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army have achieved a higher degree of stability through a centralised command structure capable of uniting disparate tribes and militias. Haftar’s family based rule alongside his growing territorial grip and control of Libya’s strategic energy resources have lead to fears that he is attempting to exert an authoritarian rule over the country through the militarisation of the state.

Libya’s GNU is no stranger to the costs of governing through such a fragmented security framework. Violence between different militias is a consistent reality in western Libya, ranging from small-scale infighting between rival groups, to open challenges to the GNU, which in July 2025 almost led the Tripoli-based government to the brink of war.

Western Libya’s decentralised security landscape does have its own benefits according to Al-Trabelsi. He said that the integration of security directorates had proven successful after they were provided with logistical backing and institutional empowerment, allowing them to operate more efficiently, he also added that they are the closest institutions to citizens and deal directly with everyday concerns.

Despite Libya’s entrenched political paralysis and divergent security structures, the country’s fractured security landscape is showing tentative signs of convergence through joint initiatives.

The United States is pushing economic and military integration by convening eastern and western officials whilst also announcing that the United States Africa Command will hold multinational exercises in Sirte in spring 2026 involving forces from both eastern and western Libya.

The Libya Observer, Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi.org