The Tripoli-based government in Libya reported a mass prison break on Tuesday, staged during a fierce battle between rival armed militias in the cities of Zawiya and Surman.
The Judicial Police Authority did not disclose the number of inmates who escaped or reveal any of their identities. Instead, it promised to “identify them and take necessary legal action against them.”
Libyan officials were likewise vague about exactly who was fighting in the streets of the two cities, or why. Local news footage depicted heavy gunfire and clouds of black smoke from the battles, and the mayor of Surman said the city sustained “serious damage.” The battle ended when a “neutral force” entered the city to restore order.
The city of Zawiya, located about 25 miles from Tripoli, is home to the second largest oil refinery currently operating in Libya. Factional clashes often revolve around control of oil fields and refineries.
Libya has been in a state of perpetual chaos since former U.S. President Barack Obama invaded the country and overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Qaddafi in 2011. The country is broadly divided between two feuding governments, the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli and the Government of National Stability (GNS), which is run by a paramilitary force called the Libyan National Army and its political wing, the House of Representatives, and based in Benghazi.
The GNU is the internationally recognized government of Libya, but it has never been able to consolidate control over the eastern half of the country – or, for that matter, over the territory it nominally administers.
According to the Libya Herald, Zawia and Surman belong to a sub-government called the Western Municipality Bloc, which has been pleading for security assistance from the GNU command in Tripoli.
The two militias that opened fire on each other were the security assistance from Tripoli. The Libya Herald identified them as the First Support Division of Zawiya and the 103rd Battalion, both of which are officially recognized as paramilitary forces by Tripoli.
The battle between these militias began for unknown reasons along a coastal road near the Zawiya refinery on Monday night, escalating to artillery or mortar fire on Tuesday, which caused the clouds of black smoke seen in local news reports. The refinery told its employees not to come to work during the fighting, and people living nearby were advised by local officials to stay in their homes until it was over.
The fighting spread to the city of Surman, whose residents appealed to the Libyan Red Crescent for help, but it was too dangerous for the Red Crescent to respond until the fighting subsided.
The prison break occurred in Surman under circumstances that are not yet clear. The Libya Herald relayed some reports that the prisoners were deliberately released out of “concerns for their safety” as the feuding militias lobbed explosive shells at each other.
“We condemn these unlawful acts in the strongest terms. We hold all parties responsible for instigating these events fully accountable,” the Surman municipality said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The Libya Herald noted that twelve hours after the battle, the government in Tripoli had made no official comment on the situation. No official casualty count from the fighting had been released as of Wednesday.
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