Signs of serious deterioration in the security environment in the Libyan capital have strongly emerged in the first week of November when on November 5, two people, including a militia commander al-Nassour, were killed in a gun battle between the militia Nassour and the militia of al-Souq al Juma district of Tripoli where the clashes took place. The most worrying of what happened is the fact that the two militias have never been considered rivals, both belonging to the Islamist field. Yet, on the night of 7 and 8 November, in the center of Tripoli heavy fighting broke out, which lasted about two hours, in the neighborhoods of Shatt Al-Shara and Zawiyat Dahmani and in the cities of Nufleen and Ben Ashour. Local sources report a massive use of heavy weapons such as mortars, RPGs, machine guns and anti-aircraft caliber 7.62 and 14.5.
On November 15, several hundred protesters took to the streets of Tripoli to ask the Government the expulsion from the capital city of Misurata militia . The militants have responded by opening fire on the crowd gathered in the western district of Ghargour causing 43 deaths and more than 500 injured. The severity of the incident shows that the security environment in the country, including the capital, continues to cause heavy concerns. The State continues to rely on militia groups, of questionable loyalty and often at war with each other, to cope with the internal destabilization. The Government then, and the structures that compose it, continue to present major difficulties to control the territory. The increase in attacks in the country then seems to coincide with the capture took place on October 5 by the U.S. special forces of the alleged al- Qaeda member Abu Anas al -Libi, a demonstration of the impact that they would in future interventions by international forces against Libyan militants, especially if there is evidence of complicity of Libyan institutions in these operations.
In 2014 there may be new and prolonged clashes between rival militias which Wershaffana and Misrata or Zintan and Misrata, in view of the fact that the Government has announced the inclusion of all militias from the ranks of the government security forces, an operation that will surely also hampered by opposing positions among the various factions. The path to the elections for the Constituent Assembly, despite tentative signs of development, clashes with the obstruction and sabotage of a vast constellation of Libyans actors. The other extremely critical issue is the widespread of weapons in Libya, that reporting Libyan sources could exceed those already present in Iraq and Afghanistan, which assumes that total disarmament announced it will not be possible within the next 18-24 months. As previously analyzed by Triage Duepuntozero, Libya will continue to play a crucial role as a commercial hub for the smuggling of arms and armed militants, including several directed in the areas of the Sahel such as Mali, Niger and Nigeria, going to deteriorate the stability of large regions of North Africa and West Africa.
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