Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dbeibeh called on elders and notables from Souq Al-Jumaa and surrounding districts to mediate between warring factions in Tripoli, in a video address published Wednesday.
The appeal comes amid clashes between the Deterrence Support Force and the 444th Brigade, led by Col. Mahmoud Hamza, a commander close to Al-Dabaiba.
In his remarks, the prime minister warned that the government will take “severe measures” against those who violate the ceasefire. “Those responsible for the loss of life are unfit to hold office, myself included,” he said.
He described the rift between 444th Brigade commander Hamza and Deterrence Support Force head Abdel Raouf Kara as “unhealthy and abnormal.” He stressed that the fighting “must not be repeated in any form,” vowing that “we will not stay silent until we end this.”
The prime minister referenced the death toll from the clashes, which he framed as dying “in defense of the homeland, honor and religion,” rather than “for the sake of power, position or personalities.”
Sources in Tripoli told The Libya Update earlier that 444th Brigade commander Col. Mahmoud Hamza had been released after a 48-hour detention by the Deterrence Support Force.
The clashes first erupted Monday evening between the rival Tripoli-based forces. A fragile ceasefire has taken hold, but tensions remain high in the capital.