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Fears of Clashes Resuming Between Militias in Tripoli

Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
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Fears of Clashes Resuming Between Militias in Tripoli

Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)

Controversial movements of some armed militias affiliated with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital, Tripoli, have raised fears of a new wave of clashes.

Head of the so-called Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade (TRB) Haithem Tajouri has recently launched a verbal attack on the GNA and its loyal forces describing it as a weak government.

His comments seemed to be in response to GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha’s earlier attempts to control the entrances and exits of the capital.

Tajouri demanded that he be informed of whoever wants to enter Tripoli, whether patrols or any deployed force in the city.

Meanwhile, military commanders from the GNA-affiliated “Volcano of Rage” operation said TRB was on a state of alert.

Local residents have also noticed the sudden and unexplained repositioning of some militias in Tripoli during the past two days.

Local media have reported the appearance of the smuggler who has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council and is wanted by the Attorney General, Mohammed Kachlaf, beside GNA Defense Minister Salah el-Din Al-Namroush during his recent visit to the headquarters of the Petroleum Facilities Guard.

Kachlaf’s appearance after the arrest of his partner, Abd al-Rahman al-Milad in Tripoli in mid-October, raises questions on the engagement of the GNA Ministry of Interior in battles against militias.

Kachlaf has been controlling the Zawiya refinery for years. He is described as one of the rich and masters of smuggling in the western coastal regions, knowing that he commands militias affiliated with the Petroleum Facilities Guard. He is enlisted on the UN Security Council sanctions list, which includes travel bans and freezing of funds.

Namroush also employed an ISIS member after the Ministry of Defense assigned Mohammed Balaam to manage and follow up the exchange of detainees and corpses, in cooperation with the ministry’s permanent committee for humanitarian affairs, knowing that he had previously participated in the battles waged by extremists against the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in Benghazi before his escape to Tripoli.

Spokesperson for the GNA Sirte and al-Jufrah operations room Brigadier General Abdul Hadi Dara has claimed that a member of the Sudanese “Janjaweed” militia was shot dead by the townspeople on Abu Hadi Island after attempting to rob a house.

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Spain Hosts Meeting on Israel-Palestinian Two-State Solution

(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Spain Hosts Meeting on Israel-Palestinian Two-State Solution

(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)
(From Front-L) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi, Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and (From Back-L) Quatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and Bahrain's Foreign Affairs subsecretary Sheik Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Khalifa pose for a group picture after a meeting on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid on September 13, 2024. (AFP)

Ministers from Muslim and European countries along with the European Union's foreign affairs chief gathered Friday in Madrid to discuss how to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Together, we want to identify the concrete actions that will enable us to make progress towards this objective," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social network X.

"The international community must take a decisive step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," the Socialist premier added.

Sanchez welcomed participants at his official residence before the start of the meeting at the foreign ministry in central Madrid, hosted by his top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares.

In attendance were Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye -- all members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza -- as well as the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union was represented by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign ministers of Ireland, Norway and Slovenia in addition to Spain.

"The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace in the region through the peaceful and secure coexistence of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel," Albares told a news conference.

Asked about Israel's absence from the meeting, he said the country had not been invited because it belonged "neither to the group of Europeans nor to the Arab-Islamic contact group" but stressed he would be "delighted" if Israel took part in discussions on the two-state solution.

Calls for the solution have grown since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel has responded with an offensive that has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

Sanchez has been one of the staunchest critics in Europe of Israel's Gaza offensive since the start of the conflict.

Under his watch, Spain on May 28 along with Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Earlier this month he announced that the first "bilateral summit between Spain and Palestine" would be held before the end of the year. He said he expected "several collaboration agreements between the two states" to be signed.