SUMMARY
DPF (Derna Protection Force) was an Islamist umbrella organization operating in the Libyan town Derna and its surrounding environs. The group was until 11 May 2018 called the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council (Majlis Shūrā al-Mujāhidīn Darna, MSMD), before it underwent a reorganization and name change. The goal of the group was initially to establish rule according to sharia (Islamic law) in Derna; the group also had a pronounced jihadist orientation. Following its reorganization into DPF, the group attempted to downplay – at least nominally - its jihadist and Islamist orientation in order to attract broader public support. DPF also claimed that its new primary goal was to protect Derna and its population from ongoing attacks by the House of Representatives.
DPF (at the time called Derna Mujahideen Shura Council) was created in December 2014, following the merger of Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade (ASMB), Jaysh al-Islami al-Libi (Islamic Army of Libya), and the Derna-branch of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya (ASL). The creation of the group mirrored the establishment of a related Islamist umbrella organization called the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council in June 2014. ASMB, originally named the “Derna Brigade”, had been created by Abd al-Hakim al-Hasadi during the 2011 uprising against Muammar Qaddafi. The group included a large amount of veterans from the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), an armed faction that played a prominent role in the 2011 uprising. Among these veterans were Salim Derby, who succeeded al-Hasadi as the leader of ASMB. By 2012, ASMB had become a powerful actor in Derna, where it sought to implement Islamic rule; the group was also involved in illicit activities, such as smuggling weapons and drugs. It has not been possible to establish any detailed information regarding the origins of Jaysh al-Islami al-Libi; for more information about ASL, please consult its separate actor page. Like the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, the Derna-based group attempted to boost its popularity among the citizenry by providing some rudimentary social services. On 11 May 2018, the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council was then reconstituted as the Derna Protection Force (DPF). This move was largely driven by military defeats inflicted on the group by the House of Representatives, and was most likely intended to attract support from other Libyan factions.
Reflecting the strong position of ASMB in Derna, ASMB ledaer Salim Derby also led the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council until he was killed in fighting against IS in 2015; it has not been possible to establish with certainty who succeeded him. However, by 2018, Ateyah Al-Shaari led the group; it was uder his leadership that the group was reorganized into DPF. Jaysh al-Islami al-Libi’s leader Yusuf bin Tahir and Sufyan bin Qumu, the leader of ASL’s Derna-branch, served as the group’s top military commanders during its early years of existence.
As was the case with several Islamist groups in Libya, DPF (then called Derna Mujahideen Shura Council) was at its inception likely affiliated with al-Qaida; there was however no evidence that the group had formally pledged allegiance to the global jihadi organization. The group was also accused, mainly by Egypt, of providing refuge in Derna for Jama’at Ansar al-Islam, another al-Qaida-affiliated extremist Islamist group active in Egypt’s Western Desert. Despite sharing Islamist and jihadi ideologies, the group had a highly conflictual relationship to IS, which also maintained a strong presence in Derna until 2016. The disagreement stemmed from an IS “ban” on using the Tarweeh Prayer during Ramadan, and a subsequent murder of a high-ranking Shura Council official; these events led to the Shura Council declaring jihad against IS.
In May 2018, DPF leader Al-Shaari announced that the group was willing to submit itself to the command of “Libyan army officers”, an apparent attempt to attract support from the Government of Libya in Tripoli; there was no indication that the Tripoli government acknowledged this offer.
