Libya: Militia infighting in Tripoli kills at least nine

About a dozen people were killed and many terrorized by clashes between two heavily armed militia groups in Libya’s capital, the latest bout of violence in the largely lawless North African nation, officials said Saturday August 10.

The clashes, which involved heavy weapons, occurred Friday in Tripoli’s eastern neighborhood of Tajoura for long hours between Rahba al-Duruae militia, which is led by warlord Bashir Khalfallah — known as al-Baqrah — and another militia, al-Shahida Sabriya, the officials added.

According to the Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency Services, the fighting resulted in at least nine fatalities and sixteen injuries.

The conflicts resulted from an assassination attempt on Friday on al-Baqrah, whose militia attributed to al-Shahida Sabriya, as reported by local media.

The recently elected head of the High Council of State, which is located in the West, Khaled al-Meshry, denounced the attempt on his life and demanded an inquiry to identify and apprehend those involved.

The administration of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is affiliated with the fighting parties. A request for response from its representative was not answered.

The violence underscored the fragility of war-torn Libya following the 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, which toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Amid the chaos, militias grew in wealth and power, particularly in Tripoli and the western part of the country.

For years, rival governments in the east and west of Libya, each supported by armed organizations and foreign governments, have divided the country. It is currently run by Prime Minister Ossama Hammad’s administration in the east and Dbehiba’s government in Tripoli.

A variety of criminal militias aligned with Dbeibah’s government rule Western Libya, while the forces of formidable military leader Khalifa Hafter rule the country’s east and south.