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Sorman force after clashes
Libya’s General Staff tasked the Western Coast Military Region with preparing a military force to be stationed throughout the city of Sorman to secure the city and protect Sorman prison, after intense clashes between armed groups in Sorman and Zawiya west of Tripoli.
“preparing a military force to be stationed throughout the city of Sorman”
The General Staff said its security plan calls for the withdrawal of all armed formations from within the city to enhance stability, protect vital facilities, and create the conditions for life to return to normal.
Babnet said the fighting involved members of the Security Threats Countermeasures Unit led by Mohammed Bahron, nicknamed 'the Rat', and members of the 103rd Infantry Battalion known as 'the Commodity Battalion' led by Osman Al-Halab, before the 52nd Brigade led by Mahmoud Ben Rajib intervened as fighting subsided.
The clashes left deaths and injuries, including the brothers Qusay and Udi Al-Lahab, and the injury of young Mahmoud Al-Nuwaisri by random gunfire, while sources reported further casualties including an Egyptian national and several Africans.
In parallel, the Zawiya branch of the Judicial Police confirmed that a number of prisoners escaped from Sorman prison, urging the escapees to surrender to the nearest institution for reform and rehabilitation.
Tripoli-area chaos, rival voices
Libyan police announced on Tuesday that inmates escaped en masse from a prison in Sorman alongside clashes between rival armed groups in Sorman and Zawiya, leaving 3 civilians dead and others injured.
The Judicial Police Department said it opened an investigation and formed a committee "to tally the escaping inmates and take the necessary legal measures against them," without disclosing the number of inmates who escaped.
Salem Bahr al-Atraf, a member of the elders and wise men of Zawiya, urged the parties to stop the clashes, telling Al-Ahrar: 'The winner in this situation is a loser.'
Sky News Arabia described the humanitarian situation as "very bad," noting substantial damage before a relative calm returned to the city after deployment of a neutral force.
The Zawiya Refining Company called on workers to "completely avoid areas and routes of the clashes" around the oil complex, while the Sorman municipality suspended work in administrations and public facilities and declared the day an exceptional holiday.
Refinery risk and next steps
Zawiya lies about 40 kilometers west of Tripoli and houses the largest operating refinery in Libya, with a production capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, making security disruption there a direct concern for fuel and energy movement.
“with a production capacity of 120,000 barrels per day”
Al-Jazeera Net reported that a security source with the Zawiya Police Department said clashes south of Sorman and in parts of Zawiya resulted in four deaths and more than ten people wounded with varying degrees, while Salem Bahr told Libya Al-Ahrar TV that three civilians were killed and others injured.
Al-Jazeera Net also said the Judicial Police announced a mass escape from Sorman Prison concurrent with the clashes and formed a committee "to count the escaping inmates and take the necessary legal measures against them," without disclosing their number.
The Sorman branch of the Red Crescent raised the "maximum readiness" level for emergency teams and urged the warring parties "to open safe humanitarian corridors" to ensure the free movement of emergency teams.
In the same reporting, the Zawiya Oil Refining Company urged workers to "take maximum precautions and completely avoid areas and routes of clashes" and said employees in unsafe areas should not report to work, while the coastal road linking Tripoli and Zawiya was closed.
