Tripoli Engulfed in Factional Violence Despite Key Commander’s Release

Factional clashes escalated in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on Wednesday, even after Mahmoud Hamza, the 444 Brigade commander, was released by the opposing Special Deterrence Force, Al-Radaa, on Tuesday.

The Emergency Medicine Center, which provides emergency services in western Tripoli, updated Wednesday’s casualty figures to 27 dead and 106 injured in the gunfights between the two groups. The most recent fighting started on Monday night among the 444 Brigade and Special Deterrence Force—two militia groups that have been at odds for power since Moammar Gadhafi’s ouster in 2011.

The skirmishes, unfolding in densely populated areas, have resulted in civilian casualties. Hamza’s detainment by the Special Deterrence Force, which controls the airport, reportedly occurred as he attempted to travel on Monday night. The 444 Brigade dominates in other parts of the city.

This resurgence of violence follows a period of relative tranquility. The 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force are both backed by the Government of National Unity, which has fended off previous challenges from eastern factions, including a brief round of fighting last year in Tripoli.

Libya has been wracked by civil war since 2011 when a NATO intervention force backed a local uprising. The country has been split ever since between rival eastern and western factions, which are also internally fragmented.

The fighting in Libya has involved regional powers. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have backed the country’s eastern factions, while Turkey has strongly supported its western factions, including its UN-recognized Government of National Unity.