Armed factions that have maintained control over Tripoli for over a decade have agreed to withdraw from the Libyan capital, according to Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi, a key figure in the internationally recognized government.
Following extensive negotiations, a deal has been reached to replace these groups with regular security forces responsible for policing Tripoli.
Trabelsi, addressing the press, clarified that the presence in the capital would be limited to emergency police, city officers, and criminal investigators.
The agreement follows a series of violent clashes in recent months, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Libya has grappled with lawlessness and chaos as numerous armed factions emerged after Gaddafi’s demise, leading to a security vacuum. Currently, the country is divided between the internationally recognized government in the west, headed by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, and an administration in the east led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
During the press conference, Trabelsi emphasized that the militias’ primary role would now be confined to their headquarters, and the government would only deploy them under exceptional circumstances for specific missions.
He declared that once these armed groups depart from Tripoli, other cities would follow suit, eliminating checkpoints and armed groups from roads.
The agreement outlines the departure of at least five heavily armed groups from Tripoli by the conclusion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 9. Notable among these groups are the General Security Force, the Special Deterrence Force, Brigade 444, Brigade 111, and the Stability Support Authority, which have controlled significant parts of the city.
These militias, identifiable by their masked presence and the establishment of checkpoints using armored vehicles with mounted weapons, have often engaged in internal conflicts. One particularly destructive incident occurred in August, resulting in 55 casualties and nearly 150 injuries. Although not directly under the Libyan government’s command, these groups receive public funding, and their operational independence was granted through a special status conferred in 2021.
