Libya’s acting PM replaces presidential guard commander

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-backed unity government, has appointed Major-General Diyaa al-Din Mohamed Hussein al-Amrouni as commander of Libya’s Presidential Guard, according to a statement released by al-Sarraj’s office.

Al-Amrouni succeeds Major-General Najmi al-Nakoa in the post.

Al-Sarraj, who along with being acting premier is also supreme commander of the Libyan army, announced the move on his office’s official Facebook page on Wednesday.

Although al-Sarraj not provide a reason for the decision, the move comes only one day after he unveiled plans to secure the capital through the deployment of “regular” police and security personnel.

A Tuesday tweet by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSML) quoted UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame as saying: “We're trying to replace the armed groups in Tripoli with a joint force.”

He added: “The capital is for all Libyans; every Libyan must be able to access it in safety.”

Last month, more than 100 people were killed in clashes between rival armed groups in and around capital Tripoli.