Libya’s Most Wanted Human Trafficker Killed in Tripoli, Tension Spikes
A high-profile human trafficker, Abdel-Rahman Milad, was shot dead in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Sunday, according to Libyan officials. Milad, who commanded a coast guard unit in the western town of Zawiya, was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in 2018 for his alleged involvement in trafficking migrants and others from Libya.
The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear, with no group claiming responsibility for the killing. Libyan media outlets reported that Milad was shot while in his vehicle in the Sayyad area of Tripoli, with footage circulating online showing a white Toyota Land Cruiser with bullet marks on its side.
The Libyan government, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has yet to comment on the incident. Moammar Dhawi, a militia leader in western Libya, mourned Milad’s death and called for an investigation to bring the perpetrators to account.
Libya has been plagued by corruption and turmoil since the NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country has since been split between two administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.
Amid the chaos, Libya has emerged as a major conduit for people from Africa and the Middle East fleeing wars and poverty, with many attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
In 2018, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Milad and five other leaders of criminal networks allegedly engaged in trafficking migrants and others from Libya. At the time, Milad was described as the head of a coast guard unit in Zawiya "that is consistently linked with violence against migrants and other human smugglers" from rival gangs.
U.N. experts monitoring sanctions claimed Milad and other Coast Guard members "are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms." Milad had denied any links to human smuggling, saying traffickers wear uniforms similar to those of his men. He was jailed for about six months between October 2020 and April 2021 on human trafficking and fuel smuggling charges.
The killing of Milad has sparked tension in the western part of Libya, and the investigation into his death is ongoing.
