Libyan unity govt, militia hammer out Tripoli ceasefire

By Jabbour Dokn

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed unity government and a local militia group have agreed an immediate ceasefire in capital Tripoli, the government’s Presidential Council said Thursday.

The agreement was reached during a meeting attended by Presidential Council member Ahmed Hamza, the ministers of defense and interior, and mayors and local dignitaries from Tripoli and Misurata, according to local media reports.

The truce deal reportedly calls for the establishment of a committee -- to include officials from the defense and interior ministries -- that would supervise the evacuation of “all sites occupied by armed groups and their redeployment outside the capital within 30 days”.

On Tuesday, pro-government forces launched a military operation against a local militia based in western Tripoli.

At least three people were killed in the ensuing clashes, which later spread to other parts of the capital, while schools citywide were closed indefinitely.

Libya has been wracked by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi after 42 years in power.

In the wake of the uprising, the country’s stark political divisions yielded two rival seats of government, one in Tobruk and the other in capital Tripoli.