Libyan Interior Minister Emad Trabelsi announced on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached to evacuate the capital Tripoli of armed groups and return them to their barracks.
The Interior Minister said in a press conference that more than a month of consultations and negotiations had resulted in an “agreement with the security services to evacuate the capital Tripoli completely in the coming period.”
He added: “There will be no one in it except for the police, emergency services, and criminal investigation,” which are all agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Interior.
The Interior Minister mentioned the names of what he described as “security services,” the term used by the official authorities to refer to armed groups that do not usually follow the Ministries of Interior and Defense. These are the General Security, Support for Stability, Deterrence, the 111th and 444th Combat Brigades, and the Directorate Support Force. He confirmed that all of them will return to their barracks.
Most of these security and military groups and formations operate independently and do not comply with the orders of the Interior and Defense Ministries. They justify their movements and control of some sites by claiming that they are tasked by the Prime Minister’s Office or the Presidential Council, which has issued official decisions to establish them and grant them independent budgets.
They are also deployed in most areas of the capital through fixed centers and by conducting regular patrols of their members.
The Interior Minister noted that this agreement came after long negotiations with the “security services,” noting that they will be used “only when necessary and when the Tripoli Security Directorate needs them for specific support tasks.”
On the extent of acceptance of the decision to evacuate Tripoli, the minister said: “All the leaders and commanders of these groups have expressed their understanding and support for the evacuation plan. After Tripoli is completed, all cities will be evacuated of the manifestations, formations, and gates of these groups.”
He stressed that “this plan is not directed against anyone,” expressing his hope that the evacuation plan will begin after the month of Ramadan in April.
This announcement comes days after the killing of 10 people, including members of armed groups, in the Abu Salim municipality in Tripoli. The United Nations condemned the incident and called for an investigation.
The Abu Salim municipality is the stronghold of Abdul Ghani Al-Kikli, the leader of a prominent armed group called the “Stability Support Apparatus,” which was established by the former Presidential Council in early 2021.
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has been experiencing conflicts and divisions. It is governed by two rival governments, one in Tripoli in the west headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and recognized by the United Nations, and the other in the east.
However, there is also competition for power and influence within each side, and between armed groups with multiple loyalties.
