Libya’s Presidential Council revealed on Saturday that a “sudden” agreement has been reached between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, headed by Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, and the RADA Special Deterrence Forces, led by Abdul Raouf Kara.
The agreement calls for imposing new “security arrangements in Tripoli” that would help ease the recent tensions that threatened to plunge the capital into a new war.
The tensions had seen the amassing of forces from rival factions in the capital in recent weeks.
The Presidential Council, headed by Mohamed al-Menfi, did not issue a statement confirming the agreement, but a source from the body said that the council had sponsored it and that it had gone into effect.
Deterrence forces consequently withdrew from Mitiga airport and military forces have pulled out from the capital.
The source revealed that the agreement was reached by a Turkish mediation.
It also calls for the appointment of a new judicial police chief and the handover of wanted individuals to the public prosecution.
The Presidential Council will follow up on the implementation of the deal on the ground.
Demands were made to security forces against harboring suspects, calling for cooperation in their arrest.
Other demands included facilitating government decisions to dissolve the illegal migration agency and the special operations force.
The agreement is a step forward in restoring order in Tripoli, which has long suffered because of the rivalry between armed factions, said the source.
In televised remarks on Saturday, aide in the Presidential Council Ziyad Daghim confirmed that the agreement aims to contain the escalation in the capital and restore stability through “developing the performance of security and military institutions.”
The agreement was the product of integrated efforts from al-Menfi and the GNU, he stated.
He expressed his gratitude to Türkiye for providing the “necessary guarantees” for its implementation. He acknowledged the “central and pivotal” role played by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and the Deterrence forces, which he said had shown “great responsibility” and had taken the first steps in a gesture of goodwill.
Meanwhile, a source from the Deterrence agency said the agreement calls for tasking a “neutral” force with ensuring security at Tripoli’s International Airport, as well as the airports in Misrata, Zawiya and Mitiga.
Deputy chief of Turkish intelligence Cemalettin Celik had made a secret visit to Tripoli recently where he met with prominent military and security officials, including representatives from the Presidential Council, as part of Ankara’s efforts to prevent the eruption of a new war in the capital.
The visit, which was not confirmed by Libyan or Turkish sources, focused on countering terrorism and organized crime.
