Libya’s capital, Tripoli has once again been the site of armed confrontations, as a member of the Special Deterrence Force (SDF), Sohaib Mustafa Salem Al-Dernawi, was killed in violent clashes.
In a statement, the SDF mourned the death of Al-Dernawi, stating that he was killed during a tense shootout on Wednesday. The fatal clashes took place during an operation aimed at apprehending a key drug dealer operating in the city.
Intermittently, Tripoli witnesses armed conflicts between militias, each striving to exert dominance. This power struggle is underpinned by the precarious security situation, as armed militias maintain a firm grip on the course of events, and occupy high-ranking positions in the security hierarchy.
Safety in 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.
In late October, the Head of the Zaher Al-Jabal Police Station, Abdel-Salam Abdullah Abdel-Nabi, was assassinated by unknown assailants. Just days before, a policeman was assassinated in the same city. Despite this happening in full view of everyone, those at the helm of power do not move a finger to identify the perpetrators. The security authorities do not move to arrest them or announce their names.
In October, Salah Abdel-Salam, the former Executive Director of the Civil Society Commission of the Libyan Presidential Council, was kidnapped in central Tripoli.
The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) said that there are reports of security forces being involved in the kidnapping of Abdel-Salam. There has been no contact with him since the incident, and the identity of the security agency that kidnapped him has not been established. So far, his fate remains unknown.