Heavy clashes erupted early Saturday in the city of Al-Zawiya, west of Tripoli, as rival armed groups fight to gain control of the Al-Zawiya oil refinery, a critical piece of Libya’s energy infrastructure.
The fighting reflects the deepening instability in western Libya and has raised fears of a broader security breakdown.
The confrontation is between forces affiliated with the Western Coast Military Zone, led by Salah Al-Namroush, and the Al-Qasab militia, commanded by Mohammed Kashlaf (known as Qasab).
Both groups are vying to assert military and economic control over the refinery, which plays a key role in fuel processing and distribution across western Libya.
According to local sources, all types of heavy and medium weapons were used, including grenades and rocket launchers, with intense gunfire and explosions heard in nearby residential neighborhoods.
Footage shared online shows chaos around the refinery, with no visible presence of state security forces to contain the violence.
The Al-Qasab militia reportedly seized control of the refinery on Friday, expelling Namroush’s forces.
In response, Namroush launched a counteroffensive early Saturday in an attempt to retake the facility.
Local residents fear that the fighting could severely damage fuel tanks or gas pipelines, triggering catastrophic consequences for the area and worsening the national fuel crisis.
Al-Zawiya is notorious for being a hub for fuel smuggling operations, and the competing militias have grown increasingly powerful through illegal trade and control of state assets. The state’s failure to dismantle these groups has allowed them to operate freely and violently.
