The death toll rose on Wednesday, August 16, to 45 people killed in clashes earlier in the week between rival militias in Libya's capital Tripoli, medical authorities said, in what appears to be the most intense spate of violence to shake the capital this year.
The clashes erupted late on Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, and continued into Tuesday evening. Tensions flared after Mahmoud Hamza, a senior commander of the 444 brigade, was allegedly detained by the rival group at an airport in Tripoli, according to local media reports. Hamza was later released as part of deal aimed at quelling the violence, the reports said.
Malek Merset, the spokesperson for Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center, said Wednesday that the death toll had risen from 27 to 45, as more casualties were confirmed. An additional 146 were injured, up from 106 on Tuesday. It remains unclear how many of the dead were militiamen or civilians.
On Wednesday, Libyan security forces patrolled the streets and fanned out across Tripoli. The country's Interior Ministry said security forces were deployed to areas where the fighting was most intense, including the southern Fernaj neighborhood and the al-Shouk Road. A situation room was set up to monitor developments though by Wednesday, a tentative calm had returned to the city.
The violence underscored the fragility of the war-torn Libya following the 2011 uprising turned civil war, which toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Amid the chaos, militias grew in wealth and power, particularly in Tripoli and the west of the country.
Since 2014, Libya has been divided between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of well-armed militias and different foreign governments.
Tripoli has seen similar episodes of violence in recent years, although most have only lasted a couple of hours.
"We heard many promises about imminent efforts to promote genuine security sector reform and militia disarmament," said Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya specialist and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "No progress whatsoever was made on those fronts."
The 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force are two of the largest militias operating in Tripoli. Both have previously been backed by the administration based there.