Operations at Libya’s Tripoli port have come to a complete standstill amid intensifying clashes and escalating violence.
According to the African Initiative, the situation in Tripoli deteriorated sharply during the night of 12–13 May, following armed clashes between the 444th Brigade led by Mahmoud Hamza and the forces of the Stability Support Apparatus. The escalation was triggered by the death of Abdelghani al-Kikli, head of the apparatus. The fighting continued for several hours.
Upon its conclusion, the Ministry of Defence, which is part of the Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), announced the successful completion of a stabilisation operation, and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah announced reforms to the capital’s security system.
The measures sparked a wave of discontent and provoked further clashes. According to Libyan medical sources, at least six people, including civilians, were killed overnight, and around 70 were injured.
On the evening of 14 May, mass protests took place in the city, with participants blaming Dbeibah’s cabinet for the events and demanding his resignation. In the early hours of Saturday, 17 May, one demonstrator was killed and several others injured as a result of gunfire by forces supporting the GNU.