One of Libya's most notorious human traffickers was killed over the weekend in Tripoli, the capital of the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, Libyan law enforcement officials and militia leaders confirmed Monday.
Unknown assailants shot and killed Abdel-Rahman Milad, who led a coast guard unit based out of the western town of Zawiya and received sanction from the United Nations Security Council. The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In June 2018, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Milad for his involvement in human trafficking and violence against migrants, which he has consistently denied.
However, UN monitoring groups say that Milad, along with other members of his Coast Guard unit, “are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms.”
Reports suggest that Milad encountered an ambush in the Sayyad area of Tripoli while driving his white Toyota Land Cruiser on Sunday. Footage circulating online shows the vehicle had been shot full of bullets.
Continuous chaos
Libya has faced ongoing turmoil since a popular uprising backed by a NATO-led bombing campaign during the Arab Spring protest movement overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Libya has since fractured into a failed state governed by rival administrations in the West and Benghazi in the East, each of which is supported by different armed groups and foreign governments.
Amid this chaos, Libya has become a major transit point for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in search of a better life in Europe.