The World Briefly
February 23, 2024A Kinda, Sort of, Peace
Libya
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Libya’s government on Thursday said they reached an agreement for militias to leave the capital city Tripoli after controlling it for more than a decade out of the chaotic aftermath of the Arab Spring, the BBC reported.
Interior Minister Imed Trabelsi told reporters the deal was struck following lengthy negotiations, adding that police officers would replace the armed groups in the city. He added that the government would still allow the militias to intervene, but only “in exceptional circumstances for specific missions.”
The announcement follows months of deadly clashes in the city. In August, 55 people died and 146 were injured amid fighting between two of the groups. Sixteen were killed in another clash on Saturday.
Libyans have been living in a situation of start-stop conflict since 2011, when a series of protests – part of a wider trend of civil unrest across North African and Middle Eastern countries that became known as the “Arab Spring” – resulted in the deposing and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. This created a security vacuum, filled by rival forces, and led to a state of anarchy.
The country now has two separate authorities governing separate areas. The internationally recognized government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, to which Trabelsi belongs, runs the west, including Tripoli. Military strongman Khalifa Haftar leads regions in the east.
A myriad of heavily armed militias control southern areas and are present in cities. They operate independently per a special status granted in 2021 and receive public funding from the Tripoli administration.
Five groups that have shared parts of the capital – the General Security Force, the Special Deterrence Force, Brigade 444, Brigade 111, and the Stability Support Authority – agreed to the government’s deal. They are expected to leave the city by the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on April 9.
Trabelsi said the landmark agreement would set a precedent for other cities in Libya and promised to put an end to “checkpoints” and militias.
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