TRIPOLI: A Libyan militia leader whose detention sparked clashes that killed 55 people in the capital Tripoli this week has been released, a military official said on Thursday. Gun battles had raged on the streets of Tripoli from Monday night through Tuesday after 444 Brigade leader Mahmoud Hamza was apprehended by the rival Al Radaa Force. Hamza “was released on Wednesday night and returned to his headquarters south of Tripoli”, an official at army headquarters in western Libya said. The African Union on Thursday voiced “great concern”, calling for an immediate end to hostilities and for the pursuit of reconciliation efforts. “The situation is stable, with police patrols having been deployed” in the areas that had seen fighting, allowing people to move around, the military official said.

Patrick Ryan acted on behalf of the republican movement in its dealings with the African state during the 1970s and 80s. Read MoreFor around two decades, Gaddafi provided weapons and cash to the republican movement. The former clergyman reveals that during a meeting in 1982 a colleague, known as The Duty Man, told Libyan intelligence officials that the republican movement was moving towards peace. "He came alive, he waxed on, talking about peace, about the war coming to an end and the two Libyans were sitting opposite us, taking it all in," Mr Ryan revealed. Mr Ryan said The Duty Man was later refused permission to travel to Libya by its intelligence agencies.

The American Chamber of Commerce Libya (AmCham Libya) has coordinated the dispatch of two doctors from Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA. The news was revealed after today’s meeting in Tripoli between AmCham Libya President, Debbie Hirst, and AmCham Libya Vice President, Ahmed Al-Ghazali, with Dr. Haider Al-Sayeh, Director General of the NCDC, in the presence of Dr. Rami Al-Halluji, Director of the Alliance at MSD Company, and Dr. Al-Taher Muhammad Al-Taher. AmCham Libya expressed its happiness at succeeding in coordinate the process between the NCDC and the CDC of dispatching the two Libyan doctors, Dr. Al-Taher Mohamed Al-Taher and Dr. Hazem Milad Mohamed. Al-Ghazali stated that AmCham Libya seeks to assist Libyan sectors and contribute to their development by gaining more experience. In light of this, missions, training courses and conferences are coordinated between Libya and the United States and work to coordinate and facilitate the visit of delegations, trainees and missions to the United States.

The Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) announced today that it has launched its online store. The company said the new online store will enable customers and distributers to complete purchases for all its products without having to come to its headquarters. LISCO exports 27,000 tons of HBI to Germany – another 10,000 tons to be shipped to Italy (libyaherald.com)LISCO exports 8,000 tons of hot ductile iron (HBI) to Turkey (libyaherald.com)Libyan Iron and Steel Company is preparing to export more than 100 thousand tons of iron (libyaherald.com)ibyan Iron and Steel (LISCO) exports to 38 countries – 136,000 tons to be exported in coming months (libyaherald.com)LISCO exports 5,800 tons of hot rolled coils to Egypt (libyaherald.com)Libyan Industrialists Conference 13 November, LISCO, Misrata (libyaherald.com)Ministry of Industry congratulates LISCO for its record-breaking production of 230 rolls of 8mm rebar (libyaherald.com)LISCO to increase production by 200,000 tons per annum (libyaherald.com)LISCO ships 650 tons of scrap (libyaherald.com)Zawia Technological Industrial Park seeks cooperation with LISCO – to open branches in Misrata and other cities (libyaherald.com)

For years, the European Union has funded the Libyan Coast Guard in an effort to stop migrants and refugees arriving on its shores. But those returned to Libya can face abuse and torture in detention camps run by the militias. The fighting began when members of the Special Deterrence Force, which oversees some prisons in Tripoli, arrested Col. Mahmoud Hamza , leader of the 444 Brigade. The deterrence force said that Colonel Hamza was wanted but did not publicly say why. The tensions in Tripoli could be seen by other militias as an opportunity to try to establish a foothold in the capital.

Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and his interim Government of National Unity (GNU) has sought to consolidate power by splurging on social benefits and infrastructure, yet Libya remains splintered by armed factions vying for power. The fighting was triggered when one faction, the Special Deterrence Force, seized the commander of a rival unit, the 444 Brigade, as he tried to travel through Mitiga airport. The airport - which like other key state assets are coveted by armed factions - is controlled by the Special Deterrence Force. No political leader looks able to bring the armed factions under tighter state control or deliver a lasting solution to the wider conflict. As Dbeibah and some factions seek to increase their control in Tripoli, commander Khalifa Haftar remains entrenched in Libya's east.

Along with their traditional use in retail settings, up-and-coming applications for video walls include conference rooms, gaming, entertainment and education. They're also being used in restaurants to display menus, and they're increasingly serving as the foundation for art installations in settings such as corporate headquarters, hotels and casinos. In addition to the growing number of applications, helping to fuel growth in the video wall market are new technologies that make it easy for even small organizations to deploy video walls while at the same time taking advantage of increasing resolution that makes content even more eye-catching and engaging.

For decades, the West and Libya have been locked in a contentious dance, marked by military skirmishes and simmering tensions. The 2011 Libyan Civil War further strained these relations, making Libya a thorn in the West’s side. This admission acknowledges that Gaddafi’s demise unleashed a torrent of chaos and conflict that Libya still grapples with today. Libya’s Divided DestinyPost-Gaddafi Libya was marred by division, with rival administrations taking root in the east and west. Italy’s Wily Pivot: The ENI DealRecall Georgia Meloni’s rendezvous with Khalifa Haftar, culminating in an $8-billion pact between the National Oil Corporation of Libya and Italy’s energy giant, ENI.

Share Comment on this story CommentCAIRO — One of Libya’s rival prime ministers warned Thursday that his government would not tolerate any further militia fighting, days after the year’s bloodiest bout of clashes rocked the capital, Tripoli, killing at least 45 people. AdvertisementDuring his 45-minute speech, the Tripoli-based prime minister also threatened to introduce “other measures” against the two militia groups if the fighting escalated but provided no further detail. Over that time, militia groups have grown wealthy and powerful, particularly in Tripoli and the west of the country. The 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force are two of the largest militias operating in Tripoli. Both have previously been key backers of Dbeibah, joining forces in May 2022 to thwart an attempt by a former rival prime minister from the east to the country to enter the capital.

TRIPOLI: A Libyan militia leader whose detention sparked clashes that killed 55 people in the capital Tripoli this week has been released, a military official said Thursday.Gun battles had raged on the streets of Tripoli from Monday night through Tuesday after 444 Brigade leader Mahmoud Hamza was apprehended by the rival Al-Radaa Force.Hamza "was released on Wednesday night and returned to his headquarters south of Tripoli", an official at army headquarters in western Libya told. "He was released under a government-sponsored ceasefire agreement" which also provides for the "withdrawal of fighters from the front lines", said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.Videos circulated on social media on Wednesday night showed Hamza dressed in military fatigues and surrounded by his fighters at the Tekbali barracks south of the Libyan capital.Fighting broke out in Tripoli after Hamza's detention on Monday, killing 55 people, wounding 146 and forcing the closure of the capital's only civilian airport -- the worst armed clashes seen in Libya for a year.The two armed groups are among the myriad of militias that have vied for power in the North African country since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.A period of relative stability had led the United Nations to express hope for delayed elections to be held this year.Calm returned to Tripoli and the Mitiga airport reopened after the ceasefire agreement reached late Tuesday between Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's government and a social council in the Al-Radaa stronghold of Soug el-Joumaa in the capital's southeast. "The situation is stable, with police patrols having been deployed" in the areas that had seen fighting, allowing people to move around, the military official said.Libya is split between Dbeibah's UN-backed government in the west and another in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

CAIRO - 17 August 2023: The Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has unveiled plans to upgrade the Sallum land border crossing with Libya to facilitate trade movement between the two countries. During a tour on Wednesday in the Marsa Matrouh Governorate, the Egyptian leader stated that a logistics zone spanning 250 – 300 acres will be established adjacent to the Sallum port to serve trade with Libya. President al-Sisi mentioned that Egypt has been working on the development of the Sallum crossing for the past four years. Moreover, al-Sisi confirmed that the costs incurred in developing roads from the Marsa Matrouh Governorate to foster trade with Libya were quite high. Nonetheless, he highlighted that these developments will bring considerable benefits to the residents of the governorate.

Fierce clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital Tripoli have raised fears about what the increasingly powerful paramilitaries operating there want. Mahmoud Hamza, head of the 444 Brigade, was seized by the Special Deterrence Force as he tried to travel from SDF-controlled Mitiga airport in Tripoli. The SDF handed Hamza over to a third faction which then released him to the 444 Brigade. Mitiga Airport, the city’s main airport, which was closed due to fighting also reopened yesterday. Libya is going through a political chaos after its long-serving ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.

The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. In addition to the 27 deaths, over 100 people were injured, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center said early on WednesdayA vehicle destroyed in the two days of fighting. Pic/APClashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes on Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, authorities said. The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. In addition to the 27 deaths, over 100 people were injured, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center said early on Wednesday.

The death toll from armed clashes in the Libyan capital of Tripoli that erupted late on Monday has risen to 55, officials said on Wednesday, Anadolu news agency reported. The Emergency Medicine and Support Centre said 146 people were also injured in the fighting between the Special Deterrence Force affiliated with the Presidential Council and the 444th Brigade of the National Unity Government. “The centre’s crews were able to evacuate 234 families from the areas of the clashes,” it said. The clashes erupted after Mahmoud Hamza, commander of the 444th Brigade, was arrested by the Special Deterrence Force at the Mitiga International Airport. OPINION: Tripoli latest clashes: triggers and potential consequences

Tripoli’s worst armed clashes in a year have killed 55 people and wounded 146, Libyan media reported Wednesday, as a truce took hold. The clashes were triggered by the detention of the head of the 444 Brigade, Colonel Mahmud Hamza, by the rival Al-Radaa Force on Monday, an interior ministry official said. In May, the two armed groups had clashed for hours in Tripoli, also after the arrest of a 444 Brigade member. Human Rights Watch Libya researcher Hanan Saleh expressed outrage that the capital’s armed groups continued to settle their differences with heavy weaponry in residential areas without being held accountable. The 444 Brigade is affiliated with Libya’s defence ministry and is reputed to be the North African country’s most disciplined.