At least 58 unidentified bodies were found on Monday, 19 May 2025, in a hospital in Tripoli, Libya. The hospital was under the control of a militia. Its leader, Abdulghani Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, was killed last week.

The Interior Ministry reported the discovery. The corpses were stored in a refrigerator at Abu Salim Accidents Hospital. The hospital is located in the crowded Abu Salim neighbourhood.

Remains linked to militia as clashes continue

The ministry released photos showing the corpses. Some were burned, and others lay in various states of decay.

The bodies were placed on metal carriers and hospital beds. Officials blurred the faces and marked the corpses with numbers.

Investigators are now working to identify the bodies. “So far, 23 corpses have been examined,” said the ministry. “All necessary legal procedures have been taken, including documenting data and collecting samples.” 

Abu Salim was linked to the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA). Its chief, Ghaniwa, died last Monday. The cause of death remains unclear. After his death, rival groups loyal to Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah defeated the SSA.

The SSA was one of the most powerful armed groups in Tripoli. It operated under the Interior Ministry and controlled checkpoints, prisons, and parts of the city. Rights groups had earlier accused the group of violence and illegal detentions.

On Tuesday, Dbeibah ordered militias to be disbanded. This triggered fierce clashes between armed groups. The fighting was the worst Tripoli had seen in years. The United Nations said at least eight civilians died.

This was not the first grim discovery. On Saturday, officials found nine more unidentified bodies in another SSA-run hospital—Al-Khadra—in the same area.

The militia had not reported the bodies to the authorities, the ministry added.

Government takes action

Dbeibah said on Saturday that removing militias was an “ongoing project”. A ceasefire remains in place after last week’s fighting.

On Monday, the Government of National Unity shared a video of bulldozers destroying the SSA’s largest base, the 77 camp. The site will be turned into a public park.

Libya has remained unstable since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country split in 2014 into eastern and western rival governments. A ceasefire halted major battles in 2020, but tension remains high.

The Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA) had been under scrutiny even before recent events. In 2022, the United Nations and Amnesty International reported that the group had carried out serious human rights violations in the country.