Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) expresses deep concern over the outbreak of armed clashes that began on Monday, 12 May 2025, in the capital, Tripoli, involving armed groups and security units affiliated with the Ministries of Defence and Interior of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Libyan Presidential Council.
LCW has documented the killing of ten (10) civilians — including three women — in the areas of Suq al-Jumaa, Hay al-Andalus, Janzour, Abu Salim, Ain Zara, and central Tripoli, as a result of the clashes, at least ten others have sustained various injuries, as verified by LCW’s field team at the time of publishing this statement. Homes and civilian objects have also been damaged due to the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas, actions that represent a clear violation of the principle of distinction under International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Additionally, LCW has documented the injury of at least one civilian following the indiscriminate use of live ammunition by the GNU Interior Ministry forces during the dispersal of a peaceful demonstration in the Abu Salim area. Similar incidents targeting peaceful protesters occurred in central Tripoli, where citizens took to the streets to protest against the GNU’s performance and the influence of armed groups. The use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators constitutes a serious breach of the rights to bodily integrity and peaceful assembly, as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Libya is a State Party.
LCW holds the authorities in western Libya, including the GNU and the Libyan Presidential Council, fully legally responsible for these violations and for their failure to protect civilians from the consequences of armed conflict in residential areas.
- LCW calls on all parties to the conflict to immediately and unconditionally cease clashes in civilian-populated areas and to comply fully with their obligations under IHL, including the duty to protect civilians and to prevent the recurrence of such violations.
- LCW urges the GNU to ensure the protection of peaceful demonstrators, respect the right to freedom of assembly, and launch prompt, impartial investigations into the use of force against protests, guaranteeing that those responsible are held to account.
- LCW urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch comprehensive investigations into the grave violations committed, including attacks targeting civilians, and to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable and do not escape justice. This call is made in light of the national judiciary’s continued inability, ineffectiveness, and lack of willingness to fulfil its obligations, and its failure to meet the requirements of the principle of complementarity with the Court.
- LCW reiterates its call for the establishment of an independent and impartial international investigative mechanism to examine serious violations of IHL and human rights in Libya. This mechanism is particularly urgent in light of the expiration of the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the continued absence of domestic accountability and prevailing impunity.
