SUMMARY
Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade was a Libyan militia group active in the Libyan coastal town Sabratha, where it was involved in various illicit smuggling and trafficking activities. In the late 2010s, Libya was characterized by a system of “militia politics”, which meant that the country’s political factions were forced to rely on the support of various regional and local armed groups. In 2017, Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade agreed with the Government of Libya to abandon its illicit activities and instead focus on curbing the human trafficking activities – mainly smugglers brining migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe – in return for financial compensation; it appeared highly likely that Italy also funded the group for the same ends. However, despite being nominally aligned with the government in Tripoli, Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade was not formally integrated into the Libyan armed forces, and the group operated independently from any centralized command structure.
Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade, as indicated by its name, was linked to the al-Dabbashi clan, one of Sabratha’s most influential families. The group was led by Ahmed al-Dabbashi, who was nicknamed “al-Ammu” (the Uncle). The primary purpose of the Brigade – which lacked any pronounced political objectives - was to protect the interests of the al-Dabbashi family, which was a key player in the illicit oil trade and human trafficking centered in Sabratha. While Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade and Brigade 48 were different groups, they were closely interlinked and supported each other in protecting their particularistic interests in Sabratha. For example, it was believed that Hussein al-Dabbashi, the uncle of Ahmen al-Dabbashi, had considerable influence over Brigade 48. In 2017, the two groups also provided warring support to each other.
The group was militarily defeated and driven from Sabratha in late 2017.
Brigade 48 was a Libyan militia group active in the Libyan coastal town Sabratha, where it was involved in various illicit smuggling and trafficking activities. In the late 2010s, Libya was characterized by a system of “militia politics”, which meant that the country’s political factions were forced to rely on the support of various regional and local armed groups. Brigade 48 was one of the groups employed by the Government of Libya to complete local security tasks. In 2017, Brigade 48 agreed with the Government of Libya to abandon its illicit activities and instead focus on curbing the human trafficking activities – mainly smugglers bringing migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe – in return for financial compensation; it appeared highly likely that Italy also funded the group for the same ends. However, despite being nominally aligned with the government in Tripoli, Brigade 48 operated independently from any centralized command structure.
Brigade 48 was created in January 2016 with mandate from the Government of Libya to protect oil facilities and provide security in Sabratha. However, the group was, despite its name, not integrated in any formal government armed force. In fact, most of its members were closely linked to the al-Dabbashi clan, a prominent family involved in various illicit activities in Sabratha. Brigade 48 did not have any pronounced political goals. While Brigade 48 and the Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade were different groups, they were closely interlinked and supported each other in protecting their particularistic interests in Sabratha. For example, it was believed that Hussein al-Dabbashi, the uncle of Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade’s leader Ahmen al-Dabbashi, had considerable influence over Brigade 48. In 2017, the two groups also provided warring support to each other.
The group was militarily defeated and driven from Sabratha in late 2017.
