Eye on Libya’s Escalating Crisis
Libya’s capital, Tripoli, has once again become a battleground—this time not only of militias but of narratives. As clashes between armed groups intensified following the assassination of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli (known as “Ghnewa”), head of the Stability Support Apparatus, the fighting exposed the fragility of Libya’s security structure. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh’s government, already under intense scrutiny due to delayed elections and questions of legitimacy, is now facing a storm of media criticism, accused of entrenching militia power and fuelling a violent downward spiral.
This press review draws from Arab and Libyan media sources to explore how different outlets have interpreted the crisis, revealing deep fractures in the country’s political discourse and diverging views on the role of the state.
A Government at War With Itself
In Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi columnist Jibril Al-Obaidi places blame squarely on the Dbeibeh administration, accusing it of clinging to power by weaponising loyalty and empowering militias. “It’s either rule or ruin,” he writes, arguing that the Government of National Unity (GNU) is operating under the logic of survival rather than legality. His depiction of the state is stark: one that surrendered to the very warlords it now pretends to confront.
The killing of Ghnewa, who was previously state-sanctioned and generously funded, and the government's subsequent repudiation of him, was described as a political manoeuvre. “He was a warlord legitimised by the government—until he became inconvenient,” Al-Obaidi states, calling it a calculated purge dressed up as reform.
Protest, Repression, and Public Fury
The Libyan newspaper Al-Wasat chronicled the wave of anti-government protests that swept across Tripoli following the violence. In a column titled "Tripoli on a Hot Plate," writer Fathi Menaa described the transformation of the capital from a disgruntled city into an epicentre of dissent. Protesters, enraged by years of declining services, corruption, and militia rule, demanded Dbeibeh’s resignation. The demonstrations, which began in Martyrs’ Square, quickly spread to multiple districts, “signalling not just unrest, but a popular verdict on state failure.”
Menaa warns that “the protests are no longer about electricity or bread—they are about sovereignty, dignity, and the return of state control.” The lack of an effective response from the government, he argues, risks pushing the situation beyond political redemption.
A Shift in Rhetoric—and Strategy
Meanwhile, Al-Nas, another Libyan outlet, focused on Dbeibeh’s change in tone. In “Tripoli: To Be or Not to Be,” writer Abu Bakr Mustafa analyses the Prime Minister’s recent speech, in which he vowed to dismantle armed groups and reassert state authority. Mustafa notes that this speech broke from previous efforts at balance and compromise. “The Prime Minister has shifted from negotiation to confrontation,” he writes, “and in doing so has placed himself in the line of fire from militias he once depended on.”
The Ghnewa Fallout and the Question of Complicity
Media outlets across Libya reported on the discovery of mass graves at sites allegedly tied to Ghnewa’s network. Asharq Al-Awsat published revelations from officials describing the slain militia leader as “a criminal empire built with government indulgence.” However, the sudden zeal to expose his crimes raised eyebrows.
Libyan commentators in Al-Nas and Al-Unwan were quick to point out that Ghnewa had long operated with government support, receiving millions of dinars and political protection. His death, they suggest, was less about accountability and more about eliminating a now-uncontrollable partner.
Municipal Revolt and Civil Pushback
A major theme across the domestic press is the growing revolt from Libya’s municipal leadership. Al-Unwan reported that 30 mayors from the western and southern regions jointly called for Dbeibeh to step down, blaming him for “sacrificing the national interest for personal power.” Their statement warned that failure by the Presidential Council to intervene would be viewed as “complicity in the ongoing collapse.”
The National Peace Forum, a civil society coalition, echoed this sentiment in a statement covered widely in local press. Describing the current crisis as “a militarised power grab,” the Forum called for a consensual, internationally supported government to replace the GNU. They rejected any narrative that equates the dismantling of one militia with state restoration, arguing that “true peace requires dismantling all parallel forces, not replacing one warlord with another.”
Regional Dimensions: Libya as a Proxy Battlefield
Al-Shorouk, an Egyptian daily, added a broader regional lens in an interview with Tunisian academic Dr Bashir Al-Juwaini. He argued that “Libya is no longer a domestic affair—it is a chessboard for foreign powers.” Turkey, Russia, Egypt, and the West all have competing interests, especially over energy, migration, and strategic influence. Al-Juwaini pointed to the absence of institutional legitimacy, noting that all political players, from parliament to the GNU, operate beyond their original mandates.
He concluded that any political settlement must account for “regional interests, internal fragmentation, and the complete erosion of trust in existing bodies.”
Conclusion: Media Spotlight on a Collapsing Centre
From Asharq Al-Awsat’s polemics to Al-Wasat’s protest coverage, and Al-Nas’s analysis to Al-Shorouk’s geopolitical framing, a singular image emerges: a fragmented state, led by a government that has lost the moral and political capital to govern. What unites the commentary is a shared sense that Tripoli—and by extension, Libya—is now governed not by law, but by shifting alliances and force.
“The capital is no longer the seat of government,” writes Al-Nas, “but the heart of a power struggle where the gun, not the vote, dictates the future.”
Whether Libya can claw back from this descent remains uncertain. But as the press continues to document, question, and condemn, it is clear that the battle for Tripoli is also a battle for narrative—and for the soul of the Libyan state.