Rudolph Angler Residents were trapped in their homes as clashes erupted in Zawiya, 47 kilometers west of Tripoli, city officials reported. Gunmen loyal to the Shurafaa ethnic group fought forces aligned with warlord Mohamed Kushlaf, sanctioned by the U.N. in 2018 for alleged human trafficking.
The fighting on Sunday closed a major coastal road linking Zawiya to other cities and led to school closures. Resident Ahmed Abu Hussein described bullets being fired indiscriminately, striking homes and buildings in densely populated areas. “Families are terrified, trapped in their homes as the clashes rage,” he said.
Oil Refinery Heavily Damaged Amid Chaos
The Libyan National Oil Corp. confirmed “severe damage” to Zawiya’s oil refinery, the country’s second-largest. Bullets struck storage tanks, causing dangerous fires and gas leaks. Firefighters managed to control the situation despite ongoing clashes around the refinery.
The company declared a state of emergency and invoked force majeure, citing extraordinary circumstances to suspend its contractual obligations. Video shared by The Libyan Observer showed flames engulfing the refinery overnight.
Libya remains divided between rival administrations: Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and Ossama Hammad’s eastern administration, allied with military commander Khalifa Hifter. The country’s instability has fostered lawless militias, particularly in the west, since the 2011 uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi.