Casualties reported as armed groups clash in western Libya

Libya Al-Ahrar TV said the casualties were reported in clashes between armed groups on a road to the Surman resort, about 60 kilometers west of the capital Tripoli.

Activists circulated videos on social media showing prisoners fleeing a prison in Surman amid clashes and random gunfire around the facility.

There was no official toll yet for the casualties, and the cause of the clashes and the identities of the parties involved remained unclear.

In a statement, the Red Crescent branch in Surman appealed to the warring parties to “open safe humanitarian corridors to ensure freedom of movement for emergency teams.”

The Surman municipality also urged residents to remain indoors, “avoid going out except for extreme necessity, and stay away from areas of clashes.” It also suspended work at all municipal departments and facilities and declared Tuesday a day off to protect employees and residents.

In Zawiya, about 42 kilometers west of Tripoli, the Ambulance and Emergency Service warned road users that the coastal road was unsafe due to armed clashes in the area.

Zawiya Oil Refining Company also called on employees in unsafe areas not to report to work because of the clashes, declaring Tuesday a day off for employees.

Zawiya has witnessed several rounds of armed clashes in recent months that left people dead and injured and damaged vital facilities.

The city holds strategic and economic importance because of its coastal location and its oil refinery and other energy facilities. Any security tension there affects transport movement as well as fuel and energy supplies.

Libya remains divided between two rival governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, headed by Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which administers western Libya; and a government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022, currently headed by Osama Hammad and based in Benghazi, which administers the east and most of the south.

​​​​​​​For years, the UN Support Mission in Libya has sought to broker a political settlement leading to elections, which many Libyans hope will end the political divisions and armed conflict that have persisted since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.