Militants asked to leave Tripoli by Libyan government following deal struck

Armed groups that have been in charge of Tripoli for more than ten years have agreed to go away from Libya’s capital.

Imad Trabelsi, who is in charge of the inside of the country, said that a deal was made for the regular forces to be in charge of keeping the peace in Tripoli after talking for a long time.

He said only police for emergencies, city officers, and investigators would be there.

The agreement was made after several violent fights happened in the city in the last few months.

Many groups with weapons have caused a lot of trouble in Libya since Muammar Gaddafi was removed from power in 2011.

A lot of fighting and violence happened, and the ruler was killed. This caused a lack of safety and order in the country, and it has been very chaotic ever since.

Right now, Libya is split between two governments. The western government, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, is recognized by other countries. In the east, there is another government led by military leader Khalifa Haftar.

During a meeting with reporters, Mr. Trabelsi said the militia should stay in their headquarters. The Libyan government will only use them for special missions in rare situations.

He said that after they left the capital, other cities would also be free. He mentioned that there would be no more stops or armed groups on the roads.

The agreement means that at least five armed groups will leave Tripoli by 9 April, the end of Ramadan. This includes one group that is located in an area where 10 people were killed recently.

The militias named in the article the General Security Force, the Special Deterrence Force, Brigade 444, Brigade 111, and the Stability Support Authority have a lot of weapons and control different parts of the city.

The groups were easily seen in Tripoli. They wore masks and set up checkpoints on the roads using armored vehicles with weapons on them.

But they often fought each other, and in one case in August, 55 people were killed and nearly 150 were injured.

They do not have to follow orders from the Libyan government, but they get money from the government. They were given more freedom to operate on their own by the government in 2021.