Armed groups, despite their involvement in supporting the security and military services of the authorities in western Libya, are considered time bombs capable of exploding at any moment.
Al-Arab London – The announcement by Imad Trabelsi, the Libyan Minister of the Interior in the outgoing National Unity Government, about a timetable for removing armed militias from the capital, Tripoli, after Ramadan, without clear details about the mechanism for implementing the decision, reflects more political propaganda than the ability to actually implement it.
The militias, most of which are loyal to the government of Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba and involved in its security services, are considered the biggest dilemma, especially in western Libya, based on previous incidents characterized by a lack of weapons and a bloody struggle over influence and interests.
An American research center ruled out the departure of these militias from the capital, Tripoli, after the month of Ramadan, basing its estimates on complications and logical reasons that make it difficult for these militias to disappear, the first of which is that they are mostly linked to the outgoing national unity government.
These armed groups, despite their involvement in supporting the security and military services of the authority that runs western Libya, are considered time bombs capable of exploding at any moment, and previous bloody security incidents in Tripoli and its environs have provided evidence of the danger of weapons running rampant, even for the most trivial reasons.
There is a conflict of influence and interests between some heavily armed militias, which has caused confrontations with heavy weapons on more than one occasion, often resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.
The American Strategic and Security Research Center Stratfor said that there are four reasons that make it possible for these armed groups to leave the capital, Tripoli, after the month of Ramadan, in an estimate that comes as a comment on the statements of the Ministry of the Interior of the National Unity Government.
The Minister of Interior in the government of Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba had announced that the capital, Tripoli, would be evacuated of all armed formations after the month of Ramadan, while the authority in western Libya did not present a clear plan for how to evacuate the capital from armed militias.
The report issued by the Stratfor Center considered that what makes implementing what the Libyan Interior Minister said difficult is that these militias are linked or “strongly integrated within the state apparatus, and many members of the internationally recognized government have ties to these armed groups.”
He also saw that most of these militias are present in the capital and have established their presence in parts of the city, and therefore it is difficult to expel them or respond at all to their call to return to their headquarters.
The American Center also noted that replacing these militias with a complete police force in the Libyan capital seems difficult due to limited security personnel and government resources.
The armed groups loyal to the unity government assume security and oversight responsibilities, but disputes between them or a struggle for influence usually lead to bloody armed confrontations that embarrass the authority in western Libya.
The Stratfor Center report indicated the possibility of an agreement to remove these militias from parts of the capital to demonstrate the ability of the government led by Abdul Hamid Dabaiba to control the situation, but the control appears limited in light of the outbreak of weapons on more than one occasion, the most recent of which was the clashes on February 18 of this year. .
The Minister of Interior in the unity government announced last Wednesday that an agreement had been reached to evacuate the armed groups from the capital, Tripoli, and return them to their headquarters and barracks, but it was not clear the mechanisms for implementing this step and whether an agreement had been reached with all groups or some.
Imad Trabelsi said in a press conference that negotiations and consultations that continued for more than a month led to reaching an agreement with the security services to completely evacuate the capital of militants within the coming period.
He continued, “There will only be police, rescue, and criminal investigation personnel in it,” referring to the regular agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, which are “General Security, the Stabilization and Deterrence Support Service, the 111th Brigade, the 444th Combat Brigade, and the Directorate Support Force.”
Even these regular security formations are not disciplined formations, as previous clashes took place between some of their components, which poses many challenges in dealing with them as agencies subject to the authority of the Interior Ministry. In August 2023, clashes between the Special Deterrence Force and the 444th Brigade resulted in the deaths of 55 people and the injury of 146 others.
The competition between the various armed formations caused devastating confrontations, deaths among its members, and an increase in the level of violence in the Libyan capital and its surroundings.
The American Research Center said, “The militias that were formed after the 2011 revolution led to the assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and they operate largely independently, despite receiving public funds.”
