Assassination of mayor of Misratah, Libya, likely to trigger factional fighting and non-violent protests in the city

Event

The mayor of Misratah, Mohamed Eshtewi, was kidnapped on 17 December as he was being driven home from Misratah airport following an official trip.

His corpse was later left outside a local hospital. The perpetrators of the attack have not yet been identified. Eshtewi had been vocal in his support for the UN-backed Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and the Tripoli-based Presidency Council, and had advocated for greater engagement with eastern Libya. He was opposed in this by the Islamist and revolutionary factions of the Misratah Military Council, a group of powerful local militias that had repeatedly tried to force his resignation.

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