Tripoli, 24 August 2024 (TDI): Libyan armed groups and authorities reached an agreement in Tripoli to secure important infrastructure, the country’s interior minister announced on Friday, following concern from the UN over recent fighting and a brewing crisis surrounding the country’s central bank.
The North African nation of 6.8 million has struggled to recover from years of violence after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains divided between a UN-recognized government in the capital Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east supported by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
“In coordination with the Ministry of Defense, we have brought together all the security services of the capital city of Tripoli and managed to strike a deal to secure the land borders and airports, as well as the headquarters of government (institutions),” Interior Minister of the UN-recognized government Imad Trabelsi said.
The security services and armed groups expressed their immediate willingness to put the deal into force, he added.
“Within twenty-four hours, we will secure all governmental buildings, including that of the Central Bank of Libya.”
The bank’s governor since 2012, Seddik Al-Kabir, has faced criticism from figures close to PM Dbeibah over the management of Libya’s oil resources and the state budget.
On Tuesday, the acting head of the UN’s political mission in Libya, Stephanie Koury, told the UN Security Council that in “the past two months, the situation in the country has deteriorated quite rapidly,” citing recent fighting between armed groups on the outskirts of the capital and attempts to forcibly expel Kabir.
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The UN mission (UNSMIL) on Thursday urged parties to exercise restraint, expressing serious concerns about reports of mobilization of troops in Tripoli, including the threats to use force to resolve the crisis surrounding the Central Bank of the country.
The US embassy also raised the tensions around the bank on Thursday night, stating any attempt to resolve issues by force would impact the institution’s integrity and its position in the international financial system.
