The Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna ( ar, مجلس شورى مجاهدي درنة) was a coalition of
Islamist militias that advocated the implementation of
Sharia law within
Derna, Libya
Derna (; ar, درنة ') is a port city in eastern Libya. It has a population of 85,000–90,000. It was the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces in the Barbary States, and remains the capital of the Derna District, with a much smaller area. ...
. Besides seeking to implement strict social mores in Derna, the alliance was known for its open opposition to
Khalifa Haftar
Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LN ...
and the
Libyan affiliates of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(ISIL).
On 11 May 2018, the Shura Council was dissolved as result of reversals during the
Battle of Derna (2018), and replaced by the
Derna Protection Force.
Background
The Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna was created by former
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group member Salim Derby on 12 December 2014. The group frequently clashed with
ISIL in Derna in disputes over power and resources in the city. In June 2015, ISIL gunmen killed senior Shura Council leader Nasser Akr. The group responded by declaring a Jihad against ISIL. Salim Derby was killed on 11 June 2015, As a result of the ensuing clashes.
The Shura Council was known to have close ties to the militant
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian al-Mourabitoun network of
Hesham Ashmawy.
Members
At its founding, the council included the following groups:
* Jaysh al-Islam (Libya)
*
Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade
Further reading
*
References
{{Militant Islamism in the Middle East
Jihadist groups in Libya
Rebel groups in Libya
Anti-ISIL factions
Second Libyan Civil War
Derna, Libya