European Union Calls for Withdrawal of Military Forces from Tripoli: The Crime-Fighting Apparatus Denies Agreement with Dbeibah’s Seven Conditions
Security tensions in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, are escalating amid military movements between factions loyal to the outgoing Government of National Unity headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah and a coalition including the Crime-Fighting Apparatus and other militias. These developments threaten to undermine the fragile political process and potentially reignite armed confrontations.
In response, the European Union mission expressed deep concern, urging all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue with support from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
EU Ambassador to Libya Nicola Ornaldo emphasized “the need to avoid any actions that threaten stability or endanger civilians,” and called on all security forces via X to immediately withdraw from populated areas.
The mission reaffirmed its readiness to support UN efforts to maintain peace and protect civilians from further suffering and destruction. Over the years, the EU has consistently called for an end to violence in Libya, encouraged an inclusive political settlement under UN auspices, supported the development of civil and security institutions, and provided humanitarian aid to those affected by recurrent conflicts.
According to informed sources at the Supreme State Council, the UN mission officially expressed serious concern over recent security developments in Tripoli, particularly the continued movement of military forces and equipment from Misrata to the heart of the capital, which is considered a clear breach of agreed security arrangements.
The Council received serious warnings that the continuation of these movements could spark a conflict within the city. The military buildup from Misrata, Dbeibah’s hometown, has raised genuine fears of an imminent confrontation. Security sources reported that approximately 1,000 military vehicles, including armored units and troop carriers, arrived over two days, marking the largest deployment since tensions began between Dbeibah’s government and the Crime-Fighting Apparatus, which controls strategic sites such as Tripoli’s port and Mitiga International Airport.
Amid this charged atmosphere, pro-Dbeibah media reported that the Ministry of Defense had given the apparatus a 48-hour deadline to comply with conditions of a proposed agreement, including handing over individuals wanted by the Attorney General and ceasing obstruction of official state procedures.
In response, a source from the apparatus told Russia Today that no final agreement had been reached on these new conditions, clarifying that what circulated was an old approval of general points previously accepted by the apparatus, consistent with the law and respecting state sovereignty.
Additionally, government sources confirmed that the apparatus had indeed accepted the seven conditions published by local media, but implementation had not yet begun and is expected to start soon. These conditions include ending the paralysis of state institutions, enabling the Council of Ministers to dissolve the Judicial Security Directorate and the Migration Control Apparatus, handing over Mitiga Prison and Airport, those wanted for justice, and the military prosecution headquarters, as well as regulating the apparatus’s security powers, including arrests only with authorization from the Attorney General’s office.
These differing positions reflect a lack of coordination and conflicting information between the parties, further complicating the field situation.
Amid these tensions, tribal leaders and notables in western Libya have strongly rejected any attempt to drag Tripoli into war, emphasizing their commitment to the political process and opposition to military escalation. In a statement in front of the UN mission headquarters in Genzur, they said the military movements and influx of armed groups into the capital, instigated by Dbeibah’s government under pretexts deemed flimsy, only serve to undermine the process initiated by the UN.
They stressed the absolute rejection of using weapons to settle scores or exploit state resources in internal conflicts, underlining the need to respect Libyans’ will to achieve a comprehensive political solution. They also expressed hope for the official launch of the UN roadmap, and its implementation through the formation of a unified government to pave the way for elections, considered the sole means to resolve the crisis.
The notables and tribal leaders held the UN mission and international community responsible for protecting the capital’s security, calling for firm measures and sanctions against those obstructing the political process and pushing for escalation.
Political reactions warning of the consequences of escalation followed. Osama Jouili, commander of the Western Mountain Military Zone under the Presidential Council, warned that any armed action in the capital, regardless of justification, aims to sabotage the UN-led political process and would have catastrophic consequences for all.
Former presidential candidate Suleiman Al-Bayoudi ruled out a large-scale war, asserting that Dbeibah’s government “lacks the means to launch it,” failing to mobilize Misrata as a base and relying on a “new generation that left school” with no combat experience, making any potential confrontation “limited and unlikely to exceed 48 hours.”
On the popular front, presidential candidate Mabrouk Abou Amid expressed widespread anger on social media, describing Tripoli as “on a hot plate,” criticizing those he called “opportunists” seeking to prolong chaos, and calling for the establishment of a state of institutions and the rejection of militias.
Activists and human rights defenders also reaffirmed their rejection of any armed escalation. The “Friday Market Movement” expressed solidarity with the residents of Tajoura and opposed turning their neighborhoods into battlegrounds, while Tajoura residents issued a statement warning against the entry of armed formations, considering it a “direct aggression.”
This tension occurs within the context of long-standing disputes between Dbeibah’s government and the Crime-Fighting Apparatus, with repeated clashes in Tripoli over the past months, notably in May, resulting in casualties. These disputes pose a significant challenge to international efforts to restore stability in Libya.
Amid these developments, Tripoli stands at a dangerous crossroads between a government seeking to impose a new reality by force and armed alliances clinging to influence, while the Libyan people and international community watch the fate of the capital, fearing that any spark could ignite a new confrontation with potentially high political, human, and economic costs.
