Truce in Tripoli fails to hold – Clashes resume – Death toll reaches 39 – Number of injured 119 – Commander of Libyan central military zone abducted in Misrata
5253 Mins Read
The death toll of southern Tripoli clashes has risen to 39, while 119 people are wounded. Most casualties are civilians. The clashes continued as yet another truce failed to hold.
The Presidential Council’s commander of the Libyan central military zone Mohammed Al-Haddad has been abducted after leaving a military meeting in Misrata, identical sources have reported.
Here’s what happened
The Reconciliation Commission, composed of Tarhuna, Misrata, Zawia, Tripoli and Zintan, announced late on Friday a truce to halt fighting in southern Tripoli. Tripoli brigades said they would abide by the truce. The 7th Brigade of Tarhuna rejected the truce saying no talks with militias only to change course and said it would abide by the truce after several tribal mediation efforts exerted.
The truce has been broken and heavy fighting resumed shortly with both warring groups trading accusations of being the violator. Fighting was reported in the Airport Road, Salah Eddine district, Khallatat Street, Al-Khallah district.
Several neighborhoods of Tripoli were showered with indiscriminate shells. The source of firing is unknown with both sides accusing each other of deliberately targeting civilians to incite public opinion.
Indiscriminate shells fell near Prime Minister’s Office in Sikka Road, hitting a civilian’s house. No casualties were reported.
Tarhuna’s 7th Brigade took control of Naqliya camp in the Airport Road, which was under control of Misrata’s 301 Brigade. The emergency sirens of Tripoli oil depot in the Airport Road sounded at sunset as fighting spread. Al-Sumood Brigade led by senior Libya Dawn Operation commander Salah Badi took control of Hamza military camp in the Airport Road. Al-Sumood Brigade is fighting alongside Tarhuna’s 7thBrigade.
According to the sources, Al-Haddad was in a meeting in Misrata and there had been an argument between those with and the ones against sending troops to Tripoli as per Fayez Al-Sirraj’s order to oversee the ceasefire. Al-Haddad’s car and his cellphones were near his farm in Kerzaz area in Misrata, sources reported. The military commander’s whereabouts are now unknown and no party has claimed the kidnap yet
On Friday, Libyan authorities closed Tripoli airport after some rockets were fired in its direction, a spokesman for the state airline Libyan Airlines said. Flights will be diverted to Misrata airport, the spokesman said, without elaborating. Misrata lies about 190 km (120 miles) east of Tripoli. Rival groups have been fighting in Tripoli for several days but clashes had been focused on the south of the city. Matiga airport lies in an eastern suburb. The spokesman said Matiga airport would be closed for 48 hours, citing a directive of the civil aviation authority.
Migrants have been left isolated and without access to food after nearly a week of clashes between warring militias in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned. “The fighting has further jeopardised the lives of an estimated 8,000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who have been trapped and arbitrarily held in closed detention centres throughout the city,” MSF said.
“The recent fighting demonstrates that Libya is not a safe place for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers,” said Ibrahim Younis, the MSF head of mission in Libya. “Many have fled from war-torn countries or have spent months in horrible conditions while being held by human traffickers before they were put in these closed detention centres.”
