Intense fighting in Tripoli after the killing of Ghinaywa - Will Dabaiba survive this?

An update on the situation in Tripoli as of 15 May 2025.

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Please see an update on the latest developments in Tripoli given the deteriorating security situation in the capital over the last three days. The update is available in full for our paid subscribers.

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Incident: Intense fighting in Tripoli after the killing of Ghinaywa - Will Dabaiba survive this?

1. Facts

On 12 May in the evening, militia leader and Stability Support Agency (SSA) commander Abdul Ghani al-Kikli aka Ghinaywa and a number of his bodyguards were killed at Camp Tekbali, the HQ of the 444 Brigade in Tripoli, in the course of a brawl during a meeting with Military Intelligence Director (and Commander of the 444 Brigade) MG Mahmoud Hamza, MoD Undersecretary BG Abdul Salam Zoubi, MoI Emad Trabelsi and his brother Abdullah Trabelsi aka al-Farawila, commander of the Public Security Force, and a number of Misrata militia leaders. The aim of the meeting was to defuse tensions between them.

In the immediate aftermath, the 444, Zoubi’s Misrata-led 111^th Infantry Brigade, and the Public Security Force occupied most of the SSA-controlled territory, HQs and other facilities in Tripoli within a few hours in an ad-hoc operation. A number of SSA leaders and members fled to Zawiyya.

On 13 May, PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba issued a number of decisions in coordination with Zoubi, Hamza, and Emad Trabelsi, disbanding a number of security units, including the Operations & Judicial Security Department of the Judicial Police, and transferring the Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) to the MoI. Subsequently, the 444 Brigade started to take over several prisons from the Judicial Police. Furthermore, Dabaiba replaced several confidants of Ghinaywa in key institutions, including the head of the Internal Security Agency, with persons loyal to him.

In the evening, there were demonstrations in Souq al-Jouma, protesting against the ‘take-over of Tripoli by the Misratans’ and demanding the resignation of PM Dabaiba.

When PM Dabaiba ordered the disbanding of the Special Deterrence Force (Rada), Rada launched an offensive on 14 May in the early morning and took most of the buildings previously occupied from the Judicial Police by the 444 Brigade. Together with their allies from Souq al-Jouma and Tajoura they seized most of the territory inside the 2nd Ring Road from Souq al-Thulatha (east of Gargaresh) to Tajoura with the exception of the area around al-Sikka Road (where the PM Office and the NOC HQ are located) and some other locations in bloody fighting.

At the same time, militias from Zawiyya and Wershefana under the leadership of Muhammed Baroun aka al-Far advanced from the west towards Tripoli and attacked the Zintani-led Public Security Force in al-Seyaheyya and al-Serraj to drag forces away from the fight with Rada. Among others, they took the Regata Diplomatic Resort.

In the early afternoon, a fragile ceasefire took place.