Egypt urges citizens to shelter amid protests and deadly clashes in Tripoli

With more than 163,000 Egyptian migrant workers in Libya, Cairo issues warnings as protests and armed group tensions escalate

Libyan protesters burn a portrait of Prime Minister of Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity Abdulhamid Dbeibah in Martyrs Square, Tripoli. AFP

Egypt has warned its citizens in Libya to stay in their homes and remain in contact with the foreign ministry in light of renewed clashes that have erupted in the capital of Tripoli between two powerful armed groups.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it was closely following the developments in Libya with “great interest and worry”. It urged both sides to implement “the highest degree of self-control” and to put the interest of their people first.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian migrant workers reside in various parts of Libya, with 163,510 Egyptians – accounting for 20 per cent of all migrants in the country – according to a December migrant report from the International Organisation for Migration. However, some estimates suggest the number may be even higher.

Protests erupted in Tripoli on Friday, with hundreds of Libyans calling for the ousting of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh, who has headed the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) since 2021.

After gathering in Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square chanting anti-Dbeibeh slogans, the protesters convened outside the main government building in the city’s centre.

Televised footage showed the protesters carrying banners with Dbeibeh's face crossed out in red.

In a statement on Friday, Dbeibeh mourned the loss of a security official who lost his life while attempting to thwart what was described as an attempt by protesters to storm the government building.

The GNU said it respected the protesters’ right to express their opinions and attributed the more violent aspects of the protests to a nefarious militant group that had embedded itself among the protesters. It thanked the city’s police officials for “protecting the protesters and maintaining public order”.

In response to widespread reports that multiple ministers had resigned from Dbeibeh’s government in sympathy with protesters, the GNU denied these claims on Friday, asserting that all government ministers remained in their positions.

Almost 15 years after the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi and the emergence of rival administrations in 2014, Libya remains divided between the internationally recognised GNU based in Tripoli and the Government of National Stability (GNS) in the east.

While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army, control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions.

Friday’s protests followed a week of heightened tensions in the Libyan capital, where repeated clashes between rival armed groups have disrupted public peace and caused the deaths and injuries of civilians.

Clashes broke out on Monday in several parts of Tripoli following heightened tensions between the various armed groups operating in the city, according to a statement from the United Nations’ Libya mission.

The fighting, which erupted in response to the killing of the powerful militia head Abdelghani Al Kikli, has involved the firing of heavy artillery weapons in densely populated neighbourhoods, with the UN confirming that eight civilians have thus far been killed.

A ceasefire agreement announced by the GNU came into effect on Wednesday and calmed the fighting, however, fears that the situation will escalate again remain.