Khansaa Mujahid, 30, was a mother to an infant daughter, an influential content creator in the beauty and fashion fields, and the wife of Moaaz Al-Manfokh, a former member of the Political Dialogue Forum. Reports indicated she attempted to flee her attackers during the assault in the Al-Sarraj area of west Tripoli on Friday evening, but she was pursued and struck by dozens of bullets in the head and chest, leading to her immediate death in the horrific crime.
Interior Ministry Response
Following the wave of public outrage over the crime, the Government of National Unity is seeking to contain the crisis. In this context, Acting Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi issued an urgent decision to establish a high-level joint investigation team. The order mandates the team to submit daily progress reports, alongside raising the security alert status and reinforcing patrols and checkpoints in and around the capital.
Official and International Reactions
The High Council of State denounced Khansaa’s assassination, deeming the attack a grave violation of the right to life and a direct threat to community security. The Council demanded immediate action to expose the culprits, impose state authority, and confront the phenomenon of illegal arms proliferation. It also stressed the necessity of enacting comprehensive national strategies to protect women and combat violence directed against them.
The Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs mourned the victim, describing the crime as shaking the nation’s conscience, and called for a transparent, swift investigation, accountability for those involved, and guaranteed protection for women across Libya.
Internationally, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the incident and offered condolences. It stressed that the crime reveals an urgent need to stop violence and murders against women, demanding a prompt and transparent investigation and the accountability of the perpetrators without delay.
Warnings over sluggish investigation
The elders and dignitaries of the Al-Qamamda tribe in Zawiya also held the General Prosecutor and the Ministry of Interior responsible for conducting an urgent investigation. In their statement, they warned that any slowness would pave the way for a chain of assassinations threatening civil peace, describing the crime as a sign of a “serious collapse in the system of deterrence and justice.”
In a similar vein, the Libyan National Institution for Human Rights determined the assassination was premeditated and deliberate, accusing elements affiliated with the Public Security Apparatus of involvement. The institution held the Dbeibeh government legally responsible, cautioning that the politics of assassination would not be subject to a statute of limitations.
Furthermore, a statement from the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace underscored the profound crisis facing women, linking Khansaa Mujahid’s murder to years of accumulated impunity and violations. The platform asserted that the continued absence of deterrent legislation and a protection framework makes women easy targets for violence amid deteriorating security conditions and the growing influence of armed groups. While security agencies continue operations to track the perpetrators, the issue of absent justice and rampant insecurity remains a matter requiring fundamental, root-cause resolution.
