Libya’s Interior Minister, Imad Trabelsi, announced the achievement of an agreement to end the military escalation and alert that has gripped Tripoli, confirming that security forces have begun securing government buildings.
In a press conference held in Tripoli, Trabelsi stated, “In coordination with the Ministry of Defense, we held a meeting with the security forces in Tripoli… We reached an agreement to secure air and land ports and to exclusively secure the capital, Tripoli, and government buildings through official agencies.”
He emphasized that the delay in evacuating Tripoli from armed groups “is not due to weakness or lack of effort, but rather to prevent bloodshed.”
Regarding the details of the agreement, which was attended by representatives of security and military groups in Tripoli, the Interior Minister clarified that “there will be no unofficial presence in any location,” noting that all representatives of the armed groups have expressed their immediate readiness to implement the agreement.
He added that the implementation of the agreement, which involves the withdrawal of forces from institutions and their replacement with police, will begin on Saturday, but the process will take a week to 10 days.
“The agreement that was reached benefits the Libyan people… We have resolved the conflict once and for all,” he said.
Concerning the recent security incidents involving the Central Bank, Trabelsi stated, “There is no security force or militia that attempted to attack the Central Bank,” stressing that resolving this issue is the responsibility of “political entities, whether the House of Representatives, the High Council of State, or the Presidential Council. We are not a party to the decision of whether the governor remains or leaves.”
He confirmed that within the next 24 hours, the securing of all government and sovereign buildings, including the Central Bank, will begin.
Local media reported late Thursday about military movements and a heavy presence of armed vehicles in various areas, including around the Central Bank in Tripoli.
According to the Director of Mitiga International Airport, local airlines have moved their aircraft to Misrata International Airport, 200 km east of the capital, as a precautionary measure in anticipation of possible armed clashes.
The kidnapping of the Central Bank of Libya’s Director of Information Technology, Musab Muslim, last week, along with the earlier siege of the bank by armed groups, caused tensions between the Central Bank governor and the Presidential Council in Tripoli, which is demanding his resignation.
This led to a suspension of the Central Bank’s operations, which resumed after the release of the kidnapped official.
Sadiq Al-Kabir has held the position of Central Bank Governor since 2012 and faces repeated criticism regarding his management of Libya’s oil revenues and state budget, criticism that often comes from figures close to the head of the National Unity Government in Tripoli, Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
The Central Bank Governor enjoys the confidence of the House of Representatives, which renewed it a few days ago, considering that the Presidential Council in Tripoli does not have the authority to appoint or dismiss the governor.
Libya, with a population of 6.8 million, has been suffering from divisions since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. The country is currently governed by two administrations: one in Tripoli in the west, led by Dbeibah, and the other in the east, headed by Osama Hammad, backed by the parliament and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
