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Arms Depots in Residential Areas Keep Libyans on Edge

Remnants of ammunition after a weapons depot explosion in Misrata, western Libya, on Friday (Criminal Investigation Department)
Remnants of ammunition after a weapons depot explosion in Misrata, western Libya, on Friday (Criminal Investigation Department)
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Arms Depots in Residential Areas Keep Libyans on Edge

Remnants of ammunition after a weapons depot explosion in Misrata, western Libya, on Friday (Criminal Investigation Department)
Remnants of ammunition after a weapons depot explosion in Misrata, western Libya, on Friday (Criminal Investigation Department)

An explosion at a warehouse belonging to an armed group in the northwestern Libyan city of Misrata has revived fears over munitions stored among civilians despite an earlier order to remove such facilities from populated areas.

Weapons and ammunition depots inside residential areas have become a persistent challenge for Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNA) in the west and a growing concern for residents.

Friday’s blast in the Gharian area underscored the risks posed by ammunition depots run by armed groups inside residential neighborhoods. Residents have renewed calls for the facilities to be moved away from populated areas, fearing a repeat of earlier explosions that caused casualties and sparked widespread anger.

Ammunition found on Friday at the site of a weapons depot explosion in Misrata, western Libya (Criminal Investigation Department)

Salem Krawad, a Misrata notable, said public anger had “reached its peak because of the proliferation of weapons without decisive government action.”

“The danger is not limited to warehouses. It extends to homes containing shells, ammunition boxes, and light arms, raising fear among residents,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Medical sources said the explosion at a warehouse belonging to an armed group calling itself the “Hurricane Brigade” caused injuries and panic after rockets and ammunition flew into the surrounding area, raising fears of further blasts.

By early Saturday, the operations room of the government-run Libyan Mine Action Center was still receiving reports from residents of intermittent ammunition explosions, a center source said.

The depots in the city were large and held various types of ammunition, the source added.

GNA Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah had not commented on the incident. He was visiting Misrata, where he toured a power station and attended a sports festival.

The head of the Government of National Unity attended a sports festival in Misrata but did not comment on the explosion (Dbeibeh's Office)

Interior Minister Emad al-Trabelsi ordered security agencies to survey and comb the areas around the blast site and remove remnants.

Local sources ruled out a deliberate attack as the cause of the explosion in Misrata. But the incident recalled a similar blast in August last year in the city’s al-Sukairat area that injured 16 residents.

That explosion sparked protests in Misrata, with residents demanding the removal of weapons and ammunition depots from residential areas.

Abdul Salam al-Zoubi, undersecretary at the Defense Ministry for regions and military affairs, then ordered the formation of a committee to identify alternative storage sites and clear existing depots from populated areas.

But the decision was never implemented, Krawad said, questioning why the depots remained in residential districts despite repeated calls to remove them.

Their continued presence “represents a latent danger threatening civilian lives and means an explosion could occur at any time,” he said.

Libya has faced widespread proliferation of weapons and ammunition since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011, with military depots located near population centers. UN reports estimate there are about 20 million arms in the country, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

A member of the Military Engineering Department in Tripoli defuses a mine in the Al-Aqrabiyah area near a residential neighborhood (General Staff of the Government of National Unity Forces)

The danger goes beyond warehouse explosions. Official figures show that mines and explosive ordnance have caused 487 casualties since May 2020, including 175 deaths and 312 injuries. Eighty-seven of the victims were children.

Representatives of 10 countries and international partners to Libya warned at a meeting in Rome in May about unsafe ammunition storage, particularly depots near residential areas, saying they posed a continuing threat to civilians.

Despite the warnings, ammunition depots remain scattered through residential areas across Libya, according to the Libyan Mine Action Center. The risks increase in the south as temperatures rise, potentially raising the chances of improperly stored ammunition exploding.

Khaled Jibril, spokesperson for the Libyan Mine Action Center, renewed warnings that unsafe storage of ammunition and explosive remnants of war, especially near residential neighborhoods, posed a constant threat to civilians because explosions and other incidents could occur without warning.

Jibril told Asharq Al-Awsat that protecting civilians and reducing risks posed by ammunition and remnants of war required cooperation among the relevant authorities, with public safety prioritized and practical steps taken to stop haphazard storage and to move sources of danger away from populated areas.

The ongoing risks pose a challenge far beyond Misrata in a country still divided between two governments: The Tripoli-based GNA, headed by Dbeibah, and a parliament-appointed government, headed by Osama Hammad, that administers eastern Libya and southern cities.

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Arab World

Sudanese Army Expands Control in North Kordofan

Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade in Gedaref on August 17 (AFP). 
Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade in Gedaref on August 17 (AFP). 
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Sudanese Army Expands Control in North Kordofan

Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade in Gedaref on August 17 (AFP). 
Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade in Gedaref on August 17 (AFP). 

The Sudanese army said Friday it had recaptured the strategic town of Al-Mazroub in North Kordofan, a week after retaking Sodari, as a deadly drone strike on student housing in the state capital, El-Obeid, highlighted the growing use of unmanned aircraft in the conflict.

The developments come as the UN Security Council prepares for fresh negotiations over a US proposal to extend the arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan.

In a statement, the army’s General Command said its troops and allied forces had retaken Al-Mazroub after “fierce battles,” inflicting heavy casualties and vehicle losses on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The army pledged to continue operations on all fronts, protect civilians and secure property, urging residents of recaptured areas to resume their normal lives.

Mohamed Deidan, spokesman for the Special Operations Forces in North Kordofan, announced on Facebook that army troops had entered Al-Mazroub at 9 a.m. Friday, a development corroborated by field sources.

Located about 130 kilometers northwest of El-Obeid, Al-Mazroub is an important livestock market that has also served as a military supply route during the war. It had long been under RSF control.

Witnesses reported that RSF fighters withdrew from the town in September but returned after the army captured Sodari, before retreating again as government forces advanced Friday morning.

Holding Al-Mazroub strengthens the army’s ability to monitor movements west of Bara and restrict the town’s use as a transit and supply hub. Consolidating the gain, however, depends on securing surrounding roads and rural areas.

The advance follows recent army gains in Sodari, Um Sharo, Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh and Um Sayala. Field reports indicated that RSF units had retreated toward Um Badr, Hamrat al-Sheikh and the state’s far west, although their current positions remain independently unverified.

Kordofan’s strategic importance stems from its location linking central Sudan to Darfur, making control of its towns and roads critical to troop movements and supply lines.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that five people were killed and 47 wounded in a drone strike on University of Kordofan student housing in El-Obeid.

The network blamed the RSF, describing the attack as an escalation in strikes against civilian and educational facilities.

The paramilitary group made no immediate comment, and responsibility for the strike could not be independently established.

El-Obeid has faced repeated drone attacks in recent weeks, reflecting the weapon’s growing use alongside ground operations.

Burhan addresses military recruits

In Khartoum, Sudan’s Sovereignty Council chairman and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told newly admitted military academy recruits that the armed forces must safeguard the country’s security and unity, with loyalty transcending political, tribal and regional affiliations.

He described the army as a national institution serving all Sudanese and urged recruits to develop their military and technical skills to keep pace with advances in weaponry and equipment.

The Security Council is expected to revisit Sudan sanctions before the current temporary extension expires on October 9.

In September, disagreements over a US proposal to expand the Darfur arms embargo nationwide forced the council to extend the existing measures by just one month.

Washington also seeks tighter restrictions on weapons, drones, related technology and foreign fighters, while Russia and China have expressed reservations about widening the embargo.

Sudan’s government opposes a nationwide ban, arguing it could undermine the army’s ability to defend the country. Instead, it wants tougher measures to prevent weapons and foreign support from reaching the RSF.

The latest escalation in Kordofan adds significance to the Security Council debate, as military operations and drone warfare have spread beyond Darfur, for which the embargo was established more than two decades ago.

Arab World

Syria Security Incidents Raise Questions Over Who Benefits from Instability

A Syrian Interior Ministry security officer on the outskirts of the village of al-Soura al-Saghira in the Sweida countryside on Sept. 15 (Reuters). 
A Syrian Interior Ministry security officer on the outskirts of the village of al-Soura al-Saghira in the Sweida countryside on Sept. 15 (Reuters). 
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Syria Security Incidents Raise Questions Over Who Benefits from Instability

A Syrian Interior Ministry security officer on the outskirts of the village of al-Soura al-Saghira in the Sweida countryside on Sept. 15 (Reuters). 
A Syrian Interior Ministry security officer on the outskirts of the village of al-Soura al-Saghira in the Sweida countryside on Sept. 15 (Reuters). 

A series of security incidents across Syria in recent days raised concerns over attempts to undermine the authorities and spread instability as Damascus struggles to restore security and revive its economy.

The latest incident involved an attack on a bus carrying electricity company employees on the Masyaf Bridge in Homs, leaving several people dead and wounded.

It coincided with an explosion on a gas pipeline supplying the Tishreen thermal power plant in the Damascus countryside, knocking three power generation stations out of service and affecting drinking water networks.

Two days earlier, an explosion struck a gas pipeline in eastern Syria, while an assassination attempt targeted a Defense Ministry officer in al-Sanamayn, in Daraa province.

Unlike previous incidents, which occurred at relatively long intervals, the latest episodes unfolded within days of one another.

Their timing is particularly sensitive as Syrian authorities face mounting economic pressure while seeking to restore stability, attract reconstruction investment and transform the country into a strategic energy corridor linking Arab states to Türkiye and Europe, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz caused by the US-Iran confrontation.

A Syrian security source declined to comment on the situation. Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to two security and military experts about who might benefit from weakening the authorities and spreading chaos.

Who Stands to Benefit?

Syrian strategic security and military expert Ismat al-Absi described the incidents as a deliberate pattern of sabotage rather than isolated events.

Their occurrence within a single week was neither coincidental nor random, he told Asharq Al-Awsat, describing them as a systematic campaign targeting vital infrastructure and portraying the state as incapable of protecting citizens’ most basic rights.

He suggested the primary objective was psychological: convincing Syrians that nowhere in the country was safe and that the new authorities had yet to establish effective control beyond major urban centers.

Al-Absi identified ISIS sleeper cells as potential beneficiaries, arguing that exposing government security failures could help the group rebuild its clandestine network and recruit new members.

Remnants of the former regime and their financial and military networks also had an interest in perpetuating instability, he argued, citing their knowledge of vital installations, familiarity with former security procedures and financial resources accumulated through years of corruption.

He said such networks could establish small armed cells, sabotage infrastructure and assassinate officers involved in the political transition or pursuing Assad-linked networks.

Al-Absi also identified Israel as having an interest in keeping Syria militarily weak and divided, while Iran, despite losing its former influence, retained influential networks, particularly along the Syrian coast.

Arms and drug traffickers were another potential beneficiary, he added, as weak security allowed cross-border smuggling routes through Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon to remain profitable.

Rather than a single perpetrator, he described an intersection of interests that stood to gain directly from instability.

Five Simultaneous Priorities

Al-Absi proposed five parallel measures, stressing that security solutions could not be separated from political, economic and institutional reforms.

The first was completing the process of bringing all weapons under state control. The second involved building an effective intelligence apparatus free of corruption, addressing what he described as fragmentation and poor coordination among existing agencies.

Third, he called for tackling the economic crisis fueling violence, citing unemployment exceeding 40 percent in some provinces and incomes below the poverty line.

He proposed reviving small and medium-sized businesses in marginalized areas, creating temporary jobs through public works programs and ensuring basic services reached rural communities where economic and cultural deprivation contributed to the spread of radical ideas.

His fourth priority was inclusive national dialogue. According to al-Absi, Syria’s communities viewed the transition through different fears: Druze concerns over central domination, Alawite memories of the March 2025 coastal violence, Sunni demands for safeguards against renewed authoritarian rule and Kurdish aspirations to preserve administrative gains in the northeast.

He advocated an elected constituent assembly representing all communities to draft a new constitution, alongside genuine administrative decentralization and clearly defined provincial financial powers.

Al-Absi believes that the fifth path lies in maintaining transparent communication with the public. Official silence surrounding explosions and assassinations fueled conspiracy theories and fear, he argued.

Citing the Sept. 21 explosion at an ammunition depot in al-Eis, south of Aleppo, he urged authorities to disclose whether poor storage was responsible or explain measures taken if internal security breaches were suspected. He also called for professional state media focused on providing information rather than propaganda.

Syria had a historic opportunity to rebuild, he argued, but needed swift, measurable decisions and tangible results within months rather than years, stressing that legitimacy was earned through actions, not slogans.

Swift, Precise Response Needed

Syrian political and security researcher Diaa Qaddour agreed that the country’s multiple security challenges required urgent action.

“When these challenges converge, the situation becomes more complicated, requiring a more precise and faster response,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qaddour cautioned that the recent incidents might or might not be connected.

He pointed to Syria’s sensitive circumstances following its removal from sanctions and terrorism lists, alongside threats from ISIS and strained relations with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iranian militias in Iraq.

The proliferation of weapons and opposition to the country’s political changes further complicated the domestic security landscape, he added.

Although these factors appeared separate, Qaddour argued that collectively they served one overarching objective: weakening the government and frustrating its efforts to establish security and stability.

Arab World

Drone Strikes on Dormitory, Shelter Kill 10 in Sudan's El-Obeid

A lecture hall at the College of Development and Technological Sciences with its roof collapsed after an attack attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A lecture hall at the College of Development and Technological Sciences with its roof collapsed after an attack attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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Drone Strikes on Dormitory, Shelter Kill 10 in Sudan's El-Obeid

A lecture hall at the College of Development and Technological Sciences with its roof collapsed after an attack attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
A lecture hall at the College of Development and Technological Sciences with its roof collapsed after an attack attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

Drone attacks on a university dormitory and a center sheltering displaced families in Sudan's central city of El-Obeid killed at least 10 people this week, a Sudanese rights group and a medical source said on Friday.

The attacks came as fighting intensified in North Kordofan, a strategically important region where Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are battling for territory more than three years into a war that has shattered much of the country.

On Wednesday, a drone struck a dormitory at the University of Kordofan that was being used to house students and civilians, according to the Emergency Lawyers group, a Sudanese rights organization that monitors abuses during the conflict.

The group said the attack killed five people and wounded 47 others, but did not say who was responsible.

A day later, another drone hit a center sheltering families displaced by fighting from across the Kordofan region, killing five people and injuring 13 others, a North Kordofan government official and a medical source at a local hospital told AFP.

The government official accused the RSF of carrying out the attack. The paramilitary group did not immediately respond to the allegation.

In recent months, both the army and the RSF have increasingly deployed drones, killing more than 1,100 during the first five months of this year alone, according to United Nations figures.

El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has emerged as a key battleground in Sudan's war, owing to its strategic location at a crossroads linking the country's central and western regions.

The UN has repeatedly warned that escalating violence in El-Obeid and the broader Kordofan region risked triggering further atrocities, issuing in July what it described as a red alert over conditions there.

More than 300,000 people have been displaced from the region since the RSF captured El-Fasher, the military's last major stronghold in Darfur, following a major offensive last year, according to the UN.

The war between Sudan's army and the RSF has killed more than 200,000 people, aid workers estimate, displaced more than 13 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.