Death toll from clashes in Libya rises to 55 – medical agency

The clashes that occurred in Libya’s capital Tripoli on Monday and Tuesday resulted in a casualty toll of 55 killed and 146 wounded, according to the emergency services.

Late on Tuesday, city elders revealed that they had successfully mediated a resolution to the most severe violence in Tripoli in years.

The elder-brokered deal involves the Special Deterrence Force handing over 444 Brigade commander Mahmoud Hamza to a third faction known as the Stability Support Apparatus.

Hamza was apprehended by the Special Deterrence Force, which holds authority over Mitiga airport, when he was trying to travel on Monday.

Airlines that had suspended operations at Mitiga airport due to the intense fighting on Tuesday resumed their flights on Wednesday, according to local media.

As per the agreement mediated by city elders, police and other neutral security forces moved into the areas where the clashes had occurred.

Nonetheless, the conflict remains unresolved, and a source within the 444 Brigade indicated that they might resume military operations if Hamza was not returned to their own base.

Significant hostilities in Libya have been temporarily halted since a 2020 ceasefire between the primary eastern and western factions. However, competing groups continue to control the majority of the territory, and a lasting resolution to the conflict, which has persisted since the 2011 NATO-supported uprising, remains elusive.

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