Libya government says militias to leave Tripoli after deal struck

After more than a decade of control, armed groups in Tripoli have agreed to vacate Libya’s capital.

Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi, representing the internationally recognised government, announced the culmination of extensive negotiations with a deal for regular forces to assume policing duties in Tripoli.

Trabelsi informed reporters that only emergency police, city officers, and criminal investigators would remain in the city.

This agreement follows a series of lethal clashes in recent months, indicative of the ongoing instability in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The aftermath of Gaddafi’s demise saw the proliferation of armed groups, contributing to a pervasive security vacuum and widespread lawlessness throughout the country.

Presently, Libya is divided between the internationally recognised government in the west, led by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, and an eastern administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.