Six people were killed and 12 wounded when armed groups clashed on Sunday in the western Libyan city of Gharyan, several sources said.
According to Bawabat Al-Wasat news website, fighting broke out suddenly in the early hours between armed groups in the city; the Stabilization Support Apparatus and the Joint Security Force, both of which are affiliated with the Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
Citing “local sources”, Bawabat Al-Wasat reported that a “fight for power” was the main cause of the clashes between the Stabilization Support Apparatus, led by Abdul-Ghani al-Kakli, known as Ghaniwa, and the Joint Security Force under the command of Abdul-Khaliq al-Daikh.
The latter reportedly formed an alliance with militant Adel Daab, who’s known for being a key actor in enabling the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, to enter the city back in 2019 during its Western Libya military campaign against the former the Government of National Accord.
AFP reported that the fighting has continued “intermittently” in different areas of Gharyan, forcing authorities to cut access to the city to “protect the lives of pedestrians and travellers.”
In Tripoli, a number of meetings were held by military commanders loyal to the Government of National Unity to discuss the response to the Gharyan clashes. Dbeibeh established joint operations room led by Abdul Salam Al-Zoubi and composed of several security and military agencies loyal to his government.
During the clashes, eyewitnesses reported a heavy presence of drones that took off from the Mitiga airbase in Tripoli towards Gharyan.
Director of Gharyan Hospital, Khaled Zuwait, told Al-Masar TV channel that the violent clashes caused the death of six people with 12 injured.