Armed clashes have broken out between forces affiliated with Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the city of Ajaylat, 80 kilometers west of Tripoli, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Eyewitnesses and local media said that the clashes were confined to the Jinan Attia area of the city. It is reportedly between a militia affiliated with the Ministry of Defence, and members of the support force of the Zawiya Security Directorate affiliated with the Ministry of Interior.
The clashes have resulted in the death of a member from Zawiya. An official from the Libyan Red Crescent branch in Ajaylat noted that six wanted criminals had been arrested.
The Red Crescent issued warnings to residents to “stay as far away from windows and doors as possible during the clashes, and to avoid going out, given the current conditions the city is going through.”
The GNU, headed by Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, has remained silent regarding the violent clashes.
There was no immediate comment from the government or security services regarding the clashes. Security tensions have been brewing for some time in the city over areas of influence and control.
Safety in Libya’s capital, Tripoli is continuously deteriorating, with threats of kidnapping and murder a daily occurrence for residents.
Over the years, kidnappings, arrests, and assassinations have increased substantially in western Libya. This is evident in the repeated statements of the Ministry of Interior, about the arrest of gangs and individuals involved in the kidnapping and extortion of expatriate workers.
Libya ranked fourth in the Arab world, and twenty in the world, among the countries with the highest levels of organised crime, according to the report of the Global Initiative to Combat Crime (GLOBAL INITIATIVE).
In its latest report on Libya, the foundation based its indicators on several factors, most notably human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, crimes related to animal and plant life, human smuggling, and arms trade.
According to the report, Libya ranked last in the world in terms of the degree of resilience against organised crime. This reflects the inability of the state to confront the scourge of crime.