Africa

Libyan National Army intelligence chief assassinated in Benghazi car bombing

The Libyan National Army, which controls eastern Libya and parts of the south, said its military intelligence chief Fawzi al-Mansouri was killed by a car bomb in Benghazi. The assassination raises fresh security questions in the stronghold of commander Khalifa Haftar as efforts to reunify the divided country continue.

A quiet city street under an overcast grey sky
A quiet city street under an overcast grey skyPhoto: Mathias Reding / Pexels
France 24 Africa2 h ago

The Libyan National Army, which controls eastern Libya and parts of the south, said on Tuesday that its military intelligence chief, Fawzi al-Mansouri, was killed when a car bomb detonated in Benghazi. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, and the perpetrators remain unidentified.

The assassination has reignited questions over security in a region that has long served as commander Khalifa Haftar's stronghold. Al-Mansouri was regarded as a key figure in the LNA's intelligence operations, and his death leaves a significant gap in the force's command structure.

The attack comes as international mediation efforts continue in pursuit of ending Libya's years-long political division between rival administrations in the east and west. Analysts say the killing could deepen uncertainty around internal security dynamics in the east, potentially complicating the broader push toward national reunification. Benghazi has seen periodic unrest since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, and rival factions have repeatedly struggled to consolidate control over the city's security apparatus.

GeopoliticsAfricaFrance 24 Africa
This article is an AI-curated summary of the original story published by France 24 Africa. The illustration is a stock photo by Mathias Reding from Pexels and is not from the original story.

Read next