Libya’s Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Adel Jumaa, was injured in a gun attack in the capital city of Tripoli on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reports.
According to reports from the Libya Observer and Anadolu Agency, unknown gunmen opened fire on Jumaa’s vehicle, wounding him in the leg.
Following the attack, Jumaa was immediately transported to a hospital for emergency surgery. His current condition has been described as “stable” by the national unity government.
As of yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The national unity government has issued a statement condemning the incident and confirming that security agencies have launched a full investigation. The statement emphasized the government’s commitment to “track down the perpetrators and uncover the circumstances of the incident.”
The attack underscores the ongoing instability in Libya, which has been plagued by conflict and political division since the NATO-backed uprising that led to the ousting and death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. For much of the past decade, the oil-rich nation has been governed by rival administrations based in eastern and western Libya, each supported by various armed factions and foreign powers.
While a ceasefire agreement was signed in 2020, a persistent political deadlock has resulted in the formation of two separate governments. The United Nations-recognized national unity government, where Jumaa serves, is based in Tripoli, while the opposing Government of National Stability is located in the eastern city of Benghazi.
