Residents in Zawiya, 47 kilometers west of Tripoli, were trapped in their homes as clashes erupted between armed groups. Fighting broke out between gunmen loyal to the Shurafaa ethnic group and forces of warlord Mohamed Kushlaf, according to local media. Kushlaf, sanctioned by the U.N. in 2018 for alleged human trafficking, commands significant influence in the area.
It remains unclear what triggered the violence, but such clashes are common in western Libya, where militias operate with little oversight. The region, controlled by groups allied with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, has long struggled with lawlessness.
Fires Damage Oil Refinery as Violence Escalates
The fighting caused fires at Zawiya’s oil refinery, the country’s second-largest, with bullets striking oil tanks and storage facilities. The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported “severe damage” and declared a state of emergency, citing the extraordinary circumstances. Firefighters managed to control the fires and gas leaks as clashes raged nearby.
A major coastal road linking Zawiya to other cities was closed, and schools suspended classes. Resident Ahmed Abu Hussein described widespread panic, saying bullets hit homes indiscriminately, trapping families in densely populated areas.
Libya, divided between Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and Ossama Hammad’s administration in the east, remains plagued by instability. In August, militia clashes in Tripoli killed at least nine people, highlighting the ongoing chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi.