The Minister of the Interior said in a press conference that consultations and negotiations for more than a month resulted in reaching “an agreement with the security services to completely evacuate the capital, Tripoli, during the coming period.”
He added: “There will only be police, rescue, and criminal investigation personnel in it,” which are agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Interior.
The Minister of Interior mentioned the names of what he described as “security services,” which is the description that the official authorities give to armed groups that are not usually affiliated with the Ministries of Interior and Defense, namely Public Security, Stability Support, Deterrence, 111th Brigade, 444th Combat Brigade, and the Directorate Support Force, stressing that all of them will return to their headquarters and barracks. .
Most of these security and military groups and formations operate independently and do not comply with Interior and Defense orders. Their movements and control over some sites are justified by the fact that they are assigned directly by the Prime Minister or by the Presidential Council, which issued official decisions to establish them and grant them independent budgets.
It is also spread in most areas of the capital through fixed centers and periodic mobile patrols of its members.
The Minister of Interior noted that this agreement came after long negotiations with the “security services,” indicating that they will be used “only out of necessity when the Tripoli Security Directorate needs them for specific support tasks.”
Regarding the extent of acceptance of the decision to evacuate Tripoli, the minister said: “All the leaders and princes of these groups expressed their understanding and support for the evacuation plan. After the completion of Tripoli, all cities will be evacuated of the manifestations, formations, and gates spread by 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 next April.
This announcement comes a few days after the killing of 10 people, including members of armed groups, in the Abu Salim municipality in Tripoli, as the United Nations condemned the incident and called for an investigation.
The municipality of Abu Salim is the stronghold of Abdul Ghani al-Kakli, the leader of a prominent armed group, 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 witnessed conflicts and divisions, and its affairs have been managed by two competing governments, the first in Tripoli in the west, headed by Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba and recognized by the United Nations, and the second in the east.
But there is also competition for power and influence within one party, and between armed groups with multiple loyalties.
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