Smoke billows amid clashes between armed groups affiliated with Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) in the Libyan capital on August 15, 2023. The clashes between the influential 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa Force, or Special Deterrence Force, erupted on Monday night and carried over into Tuesday, an interior ministry official said. The fighting was still underway on Tuesday and had forced "the closure of roads around Mitiga airport", according to the official. Libya has been plagued by divisions fuelled by the proliferation of armed groups with shifting allegiances since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising. The 444 Brigade is affiliated with Libya's defence ministry and is reputed to be the North African country's most disciplined.

Libya saw overnight its worst clashes in the capital Tripoli so far this year, sparking concerns about battles spilling over to the OPEC member’s oil-producing and exporting infrastructure. The most powerful and heavily armed factions in Tripoli fought in several districts of the Libyan capital on Monday evening and Tuesday morning local time, with casualties reported. Due to the unrest, Libya is exempted from the OPEC+ deal and is not obliged to reduce oil production when the alliance decides to intervene in the market with output cuts. Just last month, Libyan oil output was lower than in June, after Sharara, Libya’s largest oilfield, was shut down for a few days as a result of protests from the Zawi tribe over the kidnapping of Faraj Bumatari, a former finance minister. Haftar’s threat followed a similar threat issued by the eastern government in late June.

Fighting broke out between the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force late Monday evening, according to local media. OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed the capital due to the clashes. Inbound flights were diverting to the nearby city of Misrata, it said. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours. The U.S. and British embassies in Libya both issued online statements expressing their concerns about the escalating violence around Tripoli.

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Two state recognised security forces clashed in the civilian area of Ain Zara, southeast of Tripoli last night. The clashes were sparked after the Rada / Special Deterrence Force (SDF) militia arrested Mahmoud Hamza, the commander of 444th Brigade, at Mitiga airport yesterday. RepercussionsFlights to and from Mitiga airport were suspended. Parked planes were also transferred to Misrata airport. A group of protesters block the main seafront promenade that connects Mitiga airport with the city centre by burning tyres/rubbish.

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya’s capital has been rocked by heavy fighting between the two main armed groups linked to the Tripoli-based government, forcing a halt to flights from the city’s only civilian airport. The fighting between the 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa Force, or Special Deterrence Force, erupted on Monday night and carried over into Tuesday, an interior ministry official said. Air traffic was stopped at Mitiga airport and flights were diverted to Misrata, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) to the east, and aircraft that had been parked on the tarmac were moved away. The 444 Brigade is affiliated with Libya’s defense ministry and is reputed to be the North African country’s most disciplined. The Al-Radaa Force, commanded by Abdel Rauf Karah, is a powerful ultra-conservative militia that acts as Tripoli’s police force, arresting both suspected jihadists and common criminals.

CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital left residents trapped in their homes on Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, authorities said. There were at least four dead but it was not immediately clear if they were militiamen or civilians, an official said. The clashes erupted late on Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, according to local media reports. Both of Libya’s rival administrations also condemned the fighting in separate statements Tuesday. The House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern city of Benghazi, blamed its rival, the Tripoli-based government, for the violence.

CAIRO — Clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital have left residents trapped in their homes unable to escape the violence, the country's health ministry said Tuesday, in what appears to be the most intense bout of fighting to rock Tripoli this year. According to local media, fighting broke out between the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force late Monday evening. Tensions flared after the head of the 444 brigade was allegedly detained by the other force at an airport in Tripoli earlier Monday, media reported. OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed the capital due to the clashes. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours.

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EventFurther violence remains possible over the coming days in Tripoli's Ain Zara area following clashes Aug. 14-15. Intermittent clashes spread overnight to areas around the Tripoli Medical Centre, Gypsum Road, and near the University. The fighting has resulted in significant disruptions to operations at Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport (MJI), including some delays and cancellations. At least 16 people have been wounded in the fighting so far; casualty figures will likely rise in the coming days. Heightened security, business and transport disruptions, as well as further clashes are possible in the area over the coming days.

Fighting broke out between the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force late Monday evening, according to local media. OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed the capital due to the clashes. Inbound flights were diverting to the nearby city of Misrata, it said. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours. The U.S. and British embassies in Libya both issued online statements expressing their concerns about the escalating violence around Tripoli.

2012 - Armed groups take rootA rebel council stages elections for an interim General National Congress which creates a transitional government but true power lies with an array of local armed groups. 2014 - East-west schismFormer army general Khalifa Haftar sets up a new Libyan National Army group that battles Islamist armed factions. 2019 - Haftar attacks TripoliAfter finally crushing Islamist groups in the east, Haftar drives his LNA through southern Libya, bringing most remaining oil fields under his control. 2023 - ParalysisAn uneasy peace prevails, but behind the scenes political factions continue to manoeuvre and the standoff continues. In August, rival armed factions in Tripoli battle over the seizure of a commander.

A top Libyan official has formally asked Lebanon to release Hannibal Qaddafi – the son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi – who has been held in the country since 2015. Hannibal Qaddafi's health has deteriorated since he began a hunger strike on June 3 over his continued detention without trial. READ MORE Hannibal Qaddafi readmitted to Lebanese hospital amid continued hunger strikeLibya's Attorney General Siddiq Al Sour sent a request earlier this month to his Lebanese counterpart, Ghassan Oueidat, regarding Hannibal Qaddafi, AP reported. Hannibal Qaddafi, who was two years old at the time, maintains his innocence and says he is a victim of injustice. Hannibal Qaddafi fled Libya in 2011 during the uprising against his father, who had ruled Libya with an iron fist for 42 years.

Clashes broke out in the Libyan capital Tripoli late on Monday after the reported seizure of a powerful armed faction commander by a rival force. Mahmoud Hamza, head of the 444 brigade that controls much of Tripoli, was detained at Mitiga airport by the Special Deterrence Force, local media and a source in the 444 brigade said. In the Ain Zara district, near where the clashes took place, armed men closed a major road in the area, Reuters reported. Any sustained fighting between the two factions, the most powerful in the capital after a period of military consolidation, could pose significant risks. Monday's clashes are already the worst to hit Tripoli for months, although there has been sporadic violence between armed factions in some other parts of north-west Libya in recent weeks.

The PeninsulaChairman of Libya’s High Council of State H E Dr. Mohammed Moftah Takala met Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Libya H E Khaled Mohammed bin Zabin Al Dosari in Tripoli yesterday. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation and relations between the two countries.