At Least 6 Killed in Libya’s Tripoli in Clashes Prompted by Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
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At Least 6 Killed in Libya’s Tripoli in Clashes Prompted by Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)

Clashes between heavily armed militias rocked the Libyan capital, with gunfire and explosions heard across the city following the killing of a powerful armed group leader, officials said. At least six people were killed, they said. 

The hourslong clashes, which involved heavy weapons, took place Monday evening into the early hours of Tuesday and centered in Tripoli’s southern neighborhood of Abu Salim, the officials said. 

The fighting stemmed from the killing of Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, commander of the Stabilization Support Authority, SSA, on Monday by another rival militia, a senior government and health official said. 

The SSA is an umbrella group of militias that rose to become one of the most powerful groups in western Libya during the country’s long-running conflict. Al-Kikli, who was known as “Gheniwa”, has been accused by Amnesty International of war crimes and other serious rights violations over the past decade. 

Al-Kikli was killed in a facility run by the 444 Brigade, a militia commanded by Mahmoud Hamza, another warlord close to head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, one of the officials said. 

Hamza’s group and their allies then attacked the offices of SSA across the capital, seizing their assets and detaining dozens of SSA fighters, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. 

The Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency Services said in a statement that at least six people were killed in the vicinity of Abu Salim, the SSA stronghold. It said it helped evacuate many families trapped in the clashes. 

Residents reported heavy clashes and explosions in multiple areas in the capital, with dozens of vehicles carrying fighters affiliated with different groups in the streets. 

“It was a nightmare,” said Ahmed Ammer, who lives in the city center, adding that the clashes were reminiscent of the war that engulfed the North African country following the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi. 

He said the clashes subsided early Tuesday morning, but the situation has been tense with many fighters in the streets. 

Classes in the capital’s schools were suspended on Tuesday, according to the Tripoli-based education ministry. The University of Tripoli also said it suspended studies, exams and administrative work until further notice. 

Dbeibah’s government posted on its social media platforms early Tuesday that its forces carried out a military operation in Abu Salim and took full control of the area. It didn’t provide further details. 

In a statement, the UN mission in Libya expressed alarm about the “intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas” and warned that “attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes.” 

Libya has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west. Currently, it is governed by Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and by the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east. 



Yemen Urges End to UN Mission Overseeing Hodeidah Agreement

A group photo of UNMHA members at the time of the mission’s establishment (United Nations)
A group photo of UNMHA members at the time of the mission’s establishment (United Nations)
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Yemen Urges End to UN Mission Overseeing Hodeidah Agreement

A group photo of UNMHA members at the time of the mission’s establishment (United Nations)
A group photo of UNMHA members at the time of the mission’s establishment (United Nations)

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has called for the termination of the United Nations mission tasked with overseeing the 2018 Hodeidah Agreement, just days ahead of a UN Security Council vote on whether to extend its mandate for another six months.

The government accused the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) of legitimizing Houthi control over Red Sea ports and failing to prevent the group from exploiting the area militarily and politically.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said in a statement that UNMHA has “become a burden and an enabler of Houthi dominance,” offering political cover for their military presence and “blackmail” tactics.

UNMHA was established under Security Council Resolution 2452 in January 2019 to monitor the Stockholm Agreement, which included a ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah and a mutual redeployment of forces from the city and its three ports—Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa.

Six years on, Eryani said, the mission has failed to deliver any tangible results. “Not militarily, not economically, not even humanitarian-wise,” he said. “The developments on the ground have outpaced the mission.”

He called on the Security Council to end what he described as “international mismanagement” that undermines Yemen’s sovereignty and hampers efforts to restore state institutions.

Accusations of Bias and Inaction

Eryani accused the UN mission of failing to uphold the core tenets of the Stockholm Agreement. While government forces redeployed as required, he said, the Houthis refused to comply and instead reinforced their military positions, smuggled in weapons and fighters, and continued rocket launches from within the city.

Despite these violations, the minister said, UNMHA “remained silent.”

He also criticized the mission for becoming a “political shield” for the Houthis, enabling the group to consolidate military and economic control across western Yemen.

Eryani claimed that since late 2018, UNMHA has failed to monitor or verify redeployment, enforce the ceasefire, or reduce the visible armed presence in Hodeidah.

Hostage to Houthi Restrictions

In 2022, the Yemeni government formally requested that the UN relocate the mission’s headquarters to a neutral location, citing increasing Houthi restrictions.

Eryani said the Redeployment Coordination Committee - set up under the agreement -has not convened since 2020, and that the Houthis continue to occupy UNMHA offices and housing facilities, turning the mission staff into “hostages to the group’s pressure and extortion.”

The minister also criticized the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), saying it failed to prevent weapons smuggling through the ports or to reopen roads between Hodeidah’s districts. He added that the Houthis have not transferred port revenues to the central bank for civil servant salaries as stipulated in the Stockholm Agreement.

‘War Machine Financed Under UN Watch’

Eryani accused the Houthis of using the ports to finance their war machine. Citing government estimates, he said the group collected more than $789 million in port revenues between May 2023 and June 2024 - none of which was used to pay salaries or improve public services.

Instead, he claimed, the funds were directed toward military efforts and buying loyalty, exacerbating the suffering of local populations.

He also charged that the UN mission ignored repeated Houthi violations, including missile tests from the ports and attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

“The Houthis have turned Hodeidah into a safe haven for Iranian and Hezbollah experts, a hub for assembling drones and missiles, and a corridor for arms smuggling -all under the nose of the United Nations,” Eryani said.

US Signals Support for Ending Mission

In a recent Security Council session, the United States implicitly endorsed Yemen’s position. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea described the UN mission as “paralyzed” and said it no longer reflects the situation on the ground.

According to the Council’s agenda, members will vote on Monday at 10 a.m. New York time on a draft resolution to extend UNMHA’s mandate until January 28, 2026.

Eryani urged the international community to take “a firmer stance” and shut down the mission, arguing that it now poses an obstacle to peace efforts and prolongs the humanitarian crisis.

“The Yemenis are not the only ones paying the price for the mission’s failure,” he said. “So is the region - and the world.”