User:EllsworthSK/sandbox/Libya interfactional

During the Libyan civil war, brigades of armed volunteers sprang up around the country, reporting to local military councils, which became de facto local governments. Civilian leaders say that, after the declaration of liberation in late October 2011, the militias have shifted from merely delaying the surrender of their weapons to actively asserting a continuing political role as "guardians of the revolution". Some of the largest, and most well-equipped brigades are associated with Islamist groups now forming political parties. Before the official end of hostilities between loyalist and opposition forces, there were reports of sporadic clashes between rival militias, and vigilante revenge killings.

Matters came to ahead with the U.S. Consulate attack in Benghazi, when a militia attack under the guise of a demonstration succeeded in killing the U.S. ambassador to Libya. This prompted a popular outcry against semi-legal militias that were still operating and resulted in the storming of several Islamist militia bases by protestors. A large scale government crackdown followed on non-government sanctioned militias, with the Libyan army raiding several now illegal militia's headquarters and ordering them to disband.

November 2011
On 8 November, it was evident that loyalist remnants were also still active in the country, even more than two weeks after their defeat, when a pro-Gaddafi convoy tried to cross the border into Niger and were intercepted by the Nigerien army. 13 loyalists and one Nigerien soldier were killed.

Between 8 and 12 November, large-scale fighting erupted between Zawiya and Tripoli between a Zawiya-based militia and a group from the Wershifanna tribe. The Zawiya group accused their opponents of belonging to loyalist remnants and they reported of seeing tanks and vehicles with the Gaddafi-era green flag and markings that said "Brigade of the Martyr Muammar Gaddafi". The Wershifanna denied this and stated that the men from Zawiya had been misled by a rumor that pro-Gaddafi fighters were in the area. The fighting was centered around the former loyalist Imaya military base and both sides vied for control. Grad rocket launchers were used at times during the clashes. 9–12 Zawiya fighters and nine Wershifanna fighters were killed.

On 23 November, a militia force in Bani Walid was ambushed after being sent there to arrest a known Gaddafi supporter. 15 militia members were killed. The survivors reported being shot at and hit with grenades and rockets from houses after they found out all the roads were blocked. Another report stated that the fighting started after a high-speed chase with a suspect vehicle in which a Gaddafi loyalist was killed. One civilian also reportedly died during the fighting.

December 2011
In December, a group of Zintani gunmen attacked the convoy of a top army officer, General Khalifa Haftar, as it was speeding through a checkpoint set up by the group. In a separate incident, gunfire broke out between the army and the Zintan brigade at the Tripoli International Airport. On 16 December, Haftar said an armed group had abducted his son, Belgassim, and detained him at the airport.

On 6 December, Libya's interim government announced that, following consultations with Tripoli's local council, it had given militias lingering in the capital until late December to hand over security to the authorities. Officials said residents of Tripoli would convene rallies in support of the initiative to clear the city of weapons and out-of-town fighters. If militias had not withdrawn by 20 December, the authorities and members of the public intended to close the whole city to traffic. By January 2012, the former rebels had dismantled most of their checkpoints, while some key bases still remained.

On 11 December, fighting erupted south of Zintan, between the Zintan militia and members of the El-Mashasha tribe. The clashes started when the El-Mashasha attacked the convoy of a Zintan militia commander, killing him, as he tried to pass through the town of Wamis, around which the tribe was based. The Zintanis retaliated by attacking the town with artillery or rocket fire, hitting houses in residential areas. A mosque and a school were also hit. Over two days of fighting three townspeople were killed. By 13 December, a ceasefire was established. Officials from Zintan stated that the fighting was the result of the El-Mashasha killing several residents of Zintan earlier in week.

January 2012


On 3 January, four fighters were killed in a gun battle in Tripoli as dozens of fighters from Misrata were trying to seize a group of prisoners being held in a security compound by Tripoli militias. Another report stated that there were two separate gun battles and put the number of dead at seven. In response to the incident, NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil warned that Libya risked sliding into civil war if the rival militias were not brought under control.

On 14 January, two fighters were killed and 36 were injured after clashes between militias from neighbouring towns of Gharyan and Asbi'a. It was reported that artillery and rockets were used during the clashes. On 15 January, the rival groups carried out a prisoner swap and agreed to a ceasefire. Officials said 12 people had been killed and around 100 wounded on both sides.

On 20 January, Libya's former ambassador to France died less than a day after he was arrested by a Tripoli militia group. Human Rights Watch said on 3 February, that marks on Omar Brebesh's body suggested he died as a result of torture while he was in detention.

On 26 January, the humanitarian aid non-governmental organization Médecins Sans Frontières (wich had been present in Misrata since April 2011, during the Libyan civil war) announced the suspension of their work in the city detention centres, as detainees were tortured and denied urgent health care. MSF General Director Christopher Stokes stated: "Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for more interrogation. This is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between torture sessions." . Amnesty International had described two days ago "widespread torture and ill-treatment of suspected pro-Gadhafi fighters and loyalists.", with several detainees dying across Libya in the precedent weeks.

On 23 January, reports from NTC fighters emerged claiming that Bani Walid had been recaptured by those claiming retribution by NTC forces for allegedly supporting the Gaddafi government. Information from the town about the situation was vague and contradictory at times. The so-called loyalist fighters were said to have captured several entrances to the city and most of the town, roaming freely. The main base of the local NTC militia was surrounded and besieged. The casualty figures varied with initial reports stating that five NTC fighters were killed, while later Bani Walid's major put the death toll at 20–25 on both sides, and finally a doctor at the local hospital put the death toll the next day at eight. Hours later, another three NTC fighters were killed in a loyalist attack in Benghazi and clashes were reported in Tripoli. On the same day, NTC leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil announced the possibility of another civil war. He also made a similar statement almost three weeks earlier after the Tripoli clashes.
 * Bani Walid clashes

On 24 January, however, tribal elders in Bani Walid expressly denied any loyalist uprising in their town. Instead, the dispute erupted when local leaders decided to expel the NTC military council and militias that had been in control of the town to replace them with their own representatives. No green flags were reported to be flying in the town, and elder Miftah Jubarra stated, "In the Libyan revolution, we have all become brothers. We will not be an obstacle to progress." But he also stated that they would resist any attempt by NTC forces to reassert control over Bani Walid. The following day, the national government recognised the legitimacy of the new tribal leadership of Bani Walid in an effort to maintain peace within the country. The NTC dispatched a "peacekeeping force" composed of units from the region to set up and man checkpoints around the town to contain any further unrest. UN's top diplomat in Libya, Ian Martin, confirmed that the fighting was due to a local dispute and not caused by Gaddafi supporters trying to reassert control over the city.

February 2012
On 12 and 13 February, 17 people were killed and 22 wounded in tribal fighting between the Tobu and Zuwayya tribes in Kufra. Nine were from the Zuwayya and eight were from the Tobu. Initially, only small-arms fire was used in the clashes when they started, but on the second day the situation escalated with RPGs and anti-aircraft guns being used. According to the Zuwayya, the fighting started when a young man from their tribe was killed three days before by three Tobu members. A head of the local NTC militia reported that the Zuwayya man was a smuggler and was killed after he opened fire on a Tobu militia, which was charged with combating illegal trafficking, killing five of the militiamen. The Tobu, on their part, stated that they were being attacked by the Zuwayya, who were supported by the NTC, with the intention of exterminating them. The Tobu claimed discrimination by the Zuwayya, due to them being dark-skinned, on an even higher level than during the Gaddafi-era. Farhat Abdel Karim Bu Hareg, the coordinator of social affairs in the local Kufra government said that they will have to declare independence of the region if the NTC does not act against attacks by mercenaries, referring to Tobu fighters.
 * Kufra clashes

Clashes continued around Kufra, with the NTC sending reinforcement to help the Zuwayya tribe. Tobu spokesman said that they were besieged and were being heavily shelled by the Zuwayya, and added that it was an attempt to exterminate the Tobu tribe with government participation. An NTC spokesman stated that it was a low-level fight between revolutionaries and weapons smugglers backed by foreign elements. A Tobu member claimed five of his comrades were killed in the new round of fighting, while another stated that there were no deaths, only injuries. The fighting continued, and on 15 and 16 February, another 15 Zuwayya were killed and 45 wounded. The Tobu reported that since the started of the clashes 55 of their members had been killed and 117 wounded, with the wounded not being able to be evacuated via the airport due to it being controlled by the Zuwayya.

On 15 February, Amnesty International reported that at least 12 detainees had been tortured to death while in militia custody.

On 18 February, more clashes in Kufra left another two people dead. At this point, it was reported that the military sent reinforcements to the region, in an attempt to stop the tribal fighting.

On 21 February, a Red crescent worker reported that 50 civilians were killed in the past 24 hours in Kufra due to mortar and rockets being fired on residential area. A spokesman of the Zuwayya tribe said that three people were killed and 25 injured. The leader of the Tobu tribe Issa Abdelmajid, stated that 113 Tobu were killed (including six children) and 241 wounded in 10 days of fighting. For their part, the Zuwayya said 23 of their tribesmen were killed and 53 wounded.

On 22 February, a further four people were killed and 10 injured in renewed fighting in the south. NTC leader Abdul Jalil said that Gaddafi loyalists were seeding sedition in Kufra but did not elaborate.

On 23 February, the Libyan National Army was dispatched to Kufra to enforce the peace. Army commandos had reportedly taken control of the airport, city and whole region, according to Zuwayya tribal sources inside the city and both tribes used the renewed peace for evacuation of wounded to Tripoli.

On 24 February, fighting resumed in Kufra, injuring several people, according to both tribes, with each blaming the other for the renewed fighting. A security official from the Zuwayya tribe stated that the army had not done anything to prevent the clashes. Later during the day, a ICRC medic confirmed that fighting de-escalated but the situation remained tense. The ICRC also evacuated 28 wounded patients from both tribes to Tripoli hospital.

On 25 February, a United Nations team started providing relief supplies. Georg Charpentier, an UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya and chief of UNSMIL mission, confirmed that a ceasefire between the tribes was holding with the Libyan army contingent in place to prevent further clashes. NTC chairman Jalil urged both tribes to make peace.

March 2012
On 6 March, tribal and militia leaders in Benghazi declared unilaterally semi-autonomy for the eastern region of Cyrenaica. This was met with anger from the NTC government in Tripoli and anti-autonomy demonstrations erupted in the capital and Benghazi. On 16 March, a pro-autonomy demonstration was held in Benghazi, which was attacked by unknown gunmen, leaving one person dead and five injured.



Late on 25 March, clashes erupted in the southern city of Sabha, between Arab and Toubou tribesmen, after a man from the Abu Seif tribe was killed in a dispute over a car by the Toubou. The fighting was, at first, mainly on the city outskirts. However, it than spread to the city's main streets and black plumes of smoke could be seen rising from Sabha's airport on 26 March. Initially seven people were reportedly killed and another seven wounded. However, later reports put the death toll at 20 with another 40 people wounded. The Tobu stated that the Abu Seif attacked their negotiation team outside a government building while they were in route to talk about reconciliation.
 * Sabha clashes

On 27 March, the fighting in Sabha continued and the toll was reported to had reached 49 dead, with 15 of the killed being from the Tobu and the rest from Abu Seif. Tobu militiamen had reportedly advanced into the center of the city and their snipers had taken up positions, inflicting a number of casualties.

On 28 March, the fighting briefly eased off with reports of a ceasefire, but quickly escalated again. By the end of the day the toll had reached more than 70 dead and 150 wounded, 40 of the dead being from the Tobu.

On 30 March, ceasefire was negotiated between the Council of Elders of Libya, Sabha local council and members of the Misrata militia in the southern city. According to it, Tobu tribesmen are to withdraw from all areas and recognize the authority of the national army which would take control of all security operations in the south and on the borders. In return, the Tobu will be returned all property in Libya and there will be an investigation into the conflict. Moreover, local militias would be integrated into either Army or Ministry of Interior forces. However, the fighting re-ignited the next day once again.

On 31 March, the Tobus, after being pushed back south of the city, launched a counter-attack in a bid to re-enter the town. 16 people were killed, eight from each side, and more than 50 wounded. The Libyan health minister announced that 147 people had been killed and 395 wounded, up to the night before, since the start of the fighting in Sabha.

April 2012
On 1 April, 21–34 Zuwara militiamen were detained by members of a neighboring town's militia. The Ragdalein fighters stated that they captured the men after months of abuses by a Zuwara brigade, including the looting of property. For their part, the Zuwara local council head accused Ragdalein to be a hub of Gaddafi loyalists. A third version of the events came from the government Interior Ministry which stated that the trouble started when a Zuwara hunting party near Al-Jumail shot and killed a person from that town by mistake. The hunters were than arrested but released later. Another Zuwara council head claimed that the men were tortured before being released and stated that Zuwara came under mortar and anti-aircraft fire by militias from both Ragdalein and Al-Jumail.
 * Zuwara clashes

On 3 April, reports emerged that the fighting in the Zuwara area was still continuing with at least one Zuwara militiaman killed and five wounded. The losses for Ragdalein and Al-Jumail were not known. Clashes were reported at the entrance to Ragdalein while Al-Jumail was shelling Zuwara. At least 14 were killed and 80 injured.

On 4 April, the fighting escalated with the use of tanks and artillery. The reported number of dead was said to had risen to 26, eight from Zuwara and 18 from the outlying towns, and another 142 Zuwarans were wounded. Unconfirmed reports rose up the death toll to 48 killed in the clashes.

On 20 April, fighting restarted in Kufra with 12 people being killed and more than 35 wounded when the Tobu fighters were reportedly attacked by units under the command of the National Libyan Army. The fighting began when a Tobu tribesman was killed by members of the Zuwayya tribe. The battles lasted late into 21 April.

May 2012
On 15 May, a diplomatic source briefed by Western intelligence officials stated that, beside the tribal rivalries plaguing the country, there was concern about a growing presence of Islamist militants in some areas, specifically the city of Derna. The source said that hundreds of Islamist militants were in and around the town, and there were militant training camps where weapons were also provided. He said one official had described the area as "a disaster zone." Tensions had reportedly grown between local people and the militants. According to the source, the previous month, a number of town residents went to a camp on the outskirts of the city and forced militants to leave. One of the indicators of the militant inter-factional were also the recent spate of car-bombings in Derna. One of the attacks targeted Abdel Hakim al Hasadi, a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. The same day, two people were killed and a third wounded in inter-tribal clashes in Sorman.

June 2012
On 4 June, around two hundred armed members of Tarhunas Al-Awfiya Brigade stormed Tripolis airport, in protest for the day before kidnapping by Tripolis SSC of their commander, Colonel Abu Oegeila al-Hebshi, and closed the airport for several hours. Later, the assailants clashed with members of the Tripoli Brigade and Zintan Brigade, with the result of ten fighters wounded. Finally, the Al-Awfiya militiamen agreed to withdraw from the airport, according to some sources negotiating a deal with the Tripoli & Zintan militias, according to others by promises of Mustafa Abdel Jalil of help in the search of the missing commander.

On 5 June, a bomb exploded outside the gates of the United States consulate in Benghazi, causing only material damages. According to the jihadist watch website SITE, the attack was claimed by the "Brigade of imprisoned Cheikh Omar Abdul Rahman" in revenge of the killing of Libyan Al Qaeda member Abu Yahya al-Libi by US drones in Pakistan the day before. In a separate incident, a militia checkpoint in Gwarsha district was attacked and destroyed by the family of a member of the security forces who had been fatally shot earlier by a militiaman at the checkpoint.

On 10 June, fighting flared up again in Kufra. Tobu tribesmen were engaged in clashes with former rebels who had become members of the new Libyan National Army. A Kufra official said the Tobu had launched an attack on the city with tanks and other heavy weapons. A Tobu representative said it was the tribe that had come under attack. He said the fighting had erupted after the former militiamen, known as the Libya Shield Battalion, had shelled the tribe's district. But a local security official said an attack on a security checkpoint in the town triggered the violence. The fighting continued into the next day and at least 23 people were killed. Among the dead were 20 Tobu tribesmen, including at least 15 tribal fighters, and three government soldiers.

On 11 June, the convoy of British ambassador to Libya Dominic Asquith was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade by unknown assailants in Benghazi. While the ambassador and the diplomatic staff were unhurt, two British bodyguards were injured.

Between 11 and 17 June, clashes raged in the town of Zintan. Zintani militiamen were involved in fighting with members of the El-Mashasha tribe, whom they accuse of being Gaddafi loyalists because they did not join the opposition during the civil war the previous year. The fighting reportedly started when a Zintani militiaman was shot and killed at an El-Mashasha checkpoint. At the same time, a security patrol came under fire in Sabha, leaving two dead and 10 wounded. Armed clashes also flared anew in Kufra, leaving one dead and dozens injured. After days of clashes, on 17 June, the Libyan government declared the area around Zintan a military zone and sent troops to stop the fighting. The total casualty toll for the fighting in the Zintan area was ultimately stated to be 105 killed and more than 500 wounded. The majority of the dead were reported to be El-Mashasha. The tribesmen accused the Zintan forces of shelling their town, Sheguiga, with tank and rocket fire.

On 26 June, three people were killed in renewed fighting in Al Kufra. The fighting died down later in the evening. However, the fighting continued late on 27 June and for the next three days another 47 people were killed and 100 wounded. 32 of the dead were from the Tobu tribe, 14 were from the Zwai tribe and one was a government soldier. In Benghazi, retired intelligence officer Colonel Saleh al-Warfali was assassinated in front of his house.

July 2012
On 6 July, a helicopter carrying election material was shot at south of Benghazi killing an election worker.

On 7 July, Libyans voted in their first parliamentary elections since the death of Muammar Gaddafi. The election, in which more than 100 political parties have registered, will form an interim 200-member national assembly. This will replace the unelected National Transitional Council, name a prime minister, and form a committee to draft a constitution. The vote was postponed several times to resolve logistical and technical problems, and to give more time to register to vote, and to investigate candidates. An incident of violence occurred during the elections at Ajdabiya when security forces and anti-election protesters engaged in a gun battle which left one person dead and two wounded.

Two Misratan journalists were arrested by a Bani Walid militia when they illegally entered the town to cover the election. Misrata's military leader gave a 48 hour deadline for their release and threatened to attack Bani Walid. Bani Walid elders said they would release them only in exchange for Bani Walid prisoners held in Misrata. The journalists were held despite a number of negotiations attempting to secure their release. Three Misratan fighters from the Libyan Shield brigade were captured by Bani Walid militiamen after they ventured too far from their checkpoint. Their vehicle came under attack and two of them were reported to be at Bani walid hospital while the fate of the third was unknown. The journalists were released on 15 July in a deal involving the future release of 60 former pro-Gaddafi loyalists originally from Bani Walid.

On 31 July, seven Iranian relief workers guests of the Libyan Red Crescent were abducted by unknown gunmen, near their hotel in Benghazi.

August 2012
On 1 August, clashes in Abu Isa (between Zawiya and Sorman) between armed gangs who were fighting over some vehicles since the day before ended with the intervention of the Libya Shield Force, with a final toll between two and four killed, and five injured.

On 19 August, two people were killed in a two independent car bomb attacks in Tripoli. They are the first fatal bomb attacks since the fall of the Gaddafi regime. The Libyan Ministry of Interior accused Gaddafi loyalists of carrying out the attacks, while those loyalists using an instant messaging service Paltalk were reportedly listening to the Interior Ministry’s communications network.

On 23 August, tribal clashes with heavy weapons (between Awlad Al-Shaikh tribesmen and Zlitenis according to some sources, and between Al-Haly and Al-Fawatra tribes according to others) started in Zliten, killing between three and twelve people, and injuring dozens. In a separate development, Interior ministry spokesman Abdelmonem al-Hur stated that more than a hundred tanks and twenty-six rocket launchers were seized from an alleged pro-Gaddafi militia (named Katibat Al-Awfiyah, or Brigade of the Faithful), during a raid on their campsite in Tarhuna. The operation ended with one of the suspects killed, eight wounded and thirteen detainees, accused of being linked with the 19 August Tripoli bombings. In Homs, east of Tripoli, a women's hunger strike over conditions at a migrants camp was suppressed by anti-Gaddafi militia members, leaving three Sub-Saharan migrants dead, according to Eritrean Roman Catholic priest Moses Zerai. In Sabha, two African migrants were killed and several others wounded when unknown assailants threw an explosive device at the home where they stayed.

On 24 August, following the deadly clashes of the day before, the shrine of Sufi scholar Sidi Abd As-Salam Al-Asmar in Zliten (wich had been target of an earlier attack in March) was destroyed by Salafist groups using a bulldozer and explosives, according to Zlitan military council official Omar Ali and witnesses. The attackers also blown up the mosque attached to it and its library, filmed the events and posted the footage online.

On 25 August, the Al-Shaab Al-Dahmani mosque and shrine in central Tripoli was bulldozed in broad daylight by a group of armed Salafists, including members of the security forces. According to witnesses, when the police came, they prevented people not to approach instead of stopping the demolition, while an anonymous government officer alleged that after a small clash they seal the area to prevent violence spreading. One of the assailants affirmed that the Interior Ministry had authorised the operation after discovering practices of worshipping and "black magic" at the shrine. According to witnesses, the Sheikh Ahmad Zarruq mausoleum in the port of Misrata was also destroyed. On 26 August, several Libyan government officials as President of the General National Congress Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf, or Supreme Military Council spokesman Abdel Moneim al-Hurr condemned the demolition. Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur stated on Twitter: “''The destruction of shrines and mosques is a crime. Those who commit these crimes will be held responsible… I asked the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence to intervene yesterday but they did not do their duty to protect these sites.''”. The Grand Mufti of Libya Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani condemned the desecration of graves and holy sites, which he described as “not religiously permissible” and “a violation of the sanctity of the dead”. {{cite news|title

Mufti condemns shrine attacks|url
http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=13289|publisher=Libya Herald|date=26-08-2012|accessdate=12-09-2012}} International non-governmental organizations (like HRW or ANHRI) and UNESCO also denounced the attacks.

On 29 August, around two hundred armed Islamists destroyed thirty graves at the Othman Pasha madrassa, a 19th century Turkish school in Tripoli.

September 2012
In Benghazi, a car bomb exploded in Gamal Abdel Nasser street, at the center of the city, killing a Colonel of the former government security services and wounding the other passenger. While at first Supreme Security Committee spokesman Abdel Moneim al-Hurr said that the driver was carrying the bombing device, he later affirmed that the two men, both intelligence officers, had been the target of the explosion.

On 7 September, a Salafist militia attacked the Sidi Al-Lafi mausoleum in Rajma. In the clashes with local residents that followed, three militiamen were killed and seven people were injured, according to Interior Ministry sources. Finally, the Libya Shield Brigade was deployed to stop the violence. Wisam Bin Hamid, leader of the Libya Shield Force in Cirenaica raised later the injured toll to thirteen, and denied reports that his forces were involved in the attack.

In Benghazi, in late September, mass protests forced the Islamist militia Ansar al-Sharia to withdraw from their barracks and flee. People in the crowd waved swords and even a meat cleaver, shouting "No more al-Qaeda!" and "The blood we shed for freedom shall not go in vain!" They tore down the banner of group while chanting “no no to the brigades”.

11 people were killed during the clashes in Benghazi, including six government soldiers who were found executed outside the city. Militias were blamed for the soldier's deaths. A colonel was also reported missing and feared kidnapped.

On 17 September, the head of Sabhas military council, Colonel Ali Dallah Gaidi survived an assassination attempt in Ubari, but his wife was killed in the attack.

On 23 September, Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa A.G. Abushagur office ordered, after meetings with representatives of Libyan political parties and security forces, all militias to either disband or come under army command in 48 hours.

The Libyan army raided several militia outposts operating outside government control in the capital, Tripoli, on 24 spetmeber while in the east, the militia suspected in the attack on the US consulate has said that it has disbanded on orders of the country's president. Some of the militias have taken steps over the past several weeks to consolidate and work as contracted government security forces that are paid monthly salaries. In the western city of Misrata, for example, resident Walid Khashif said dozens of militias held a meeting recently and decided to work under the government's authority. He said the militias also handed over three main prisons in the city to the Ministry of Justice to run.

On 25 September, Omran Shabaan died from his wounds in France. He was among the men who captured Gaddafi before his death. He was later allegedly captured and tortured in Bani Walid before being released when the prime minister visited the city earlier in the month. The General National Congress of Libya, wich was evacuated that day following a firefight on a protest by disgruntled former NTC fighters, hailed Shabaan as a "brave hero" and called for inquires into the circumstances of his death in order to find and punish those responsible.

October 2012
On 2 October, clashes erupted between pro-government militias from Misrata and local militiamen in Bani Walid, with a result of one death and between five and ten wounded.

On 4 October, protestors from Zawiya stormed the General National Congress building, demanding the dismissal of Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur.

By 8 October, thousands of soldiers surrounded Bani Walid and gave a deadline of 10 October to surrender the men who had tortured Omran Shaban to death, or face the town being stormed. Shelling of the town was reported, but the Misratan commanders denied they had any artillery that they could use against the town.

On 10 October, violent clashes erupted between Bani Walid militias and Misrata militias in the valley of Mardum, 10 km east of Bani Walid. One Bani Walid fighter was killed and two others injured, while the overall death toll was put at 10 killed.

On 17 October, Bani Walid was shelled once again as ground clashes raged. Five government militiamen were killed and 44 wounded in the fighting, while seven Bani Walid residents died in the shelling, and 75 were wounded.

On 18 October, around 2,000 Libyan National Army units and its aligned militias, mainly from city of Misrata, started, after failed negotiations between the government and the local council, full-scale attack on Bani Walid. Army spokesman claimed that army moved quickly and secured town airport and was closing to city centre. This was denied by residents of the town who claimed that the airport was still under local militias control and that the army had not entered the town.

On 19 October, between two and five Beni Walid residents were killed and 16 wounded according to local sources. GNC President Mohammed Magarief condemned the full-scale attack on the city, as a 48-hour ceasefire was declared, but not respected. At that point, the week death toll was eight government soldiers and at least 12 Beni Walid residents.

On 21 October, LANA reported that 22 pro-government fighters were killed in combat in Bani Walid, and two hundred injured. For at least the second time in 2012, a civilian protest stormed the GNC building. Hundreds of protestors, who demanded the end of violence in Bani Walid, were dispersed when security forces fired automatic and anti-aircraft weapons in the air, with at least two protestors injured. Meanwhile in Benghazi, hundreds of protesters assaulted and ransacked the Libya TV building, angered by what they perceive as a not fair coverage of the Bani Walid crisis. Finally, Juma Sahli, the second elected Benghazi local council governor, presented his resignation because of the "desperate" situation and the lack of help from Tripoli.

On 25 October the Libyan shield force and other militias captured Bani Walid, the battle ending with fighters firing celebratory fire in the center of the city. 13 civilians who were held by the Bani Walid fighters were freed and 100 Bani Walid fighters were arrested. Youssef al-Mankoush, the Libyan army chief of staff, said military operations in the city were terminated but that some forces were still chasing a few pockets of Gaddafi loyalists.

November 2012
In Tripoli, the arrest attempt on Mohamed Al-Warfali, leader of a ministry of Interior SSC brigade, started clashes in Sidi Khalifa district. Warfali was arrested in October after what he was accused of supplying Bani Walid militia with weapons during battle and escaped under unclear circumstances. Militiamen set on fire the SSC headquarters, damaging also a nearby hospital, and looting shops on Zawiya street Fighting lasted for much of the day, until army reinforcements arrived and Warfalli, together with 11 of his men, surrendered. Fighting allegedly killed at least 11 people, with some sources putting number up to 18, but there was no confirmation of the deaths. Angry residents also set ablaze Warfali house in the district. Meanwhile, a protest at Zawiyas refinery caused petrol shortage in the Libyan capital.