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By Saber Ayyub.
Tripoli, 11 May 2015:
Zintan and Misrata yesterday again swopped prisoners – 17 Zintanis and Magarhis held in Misrata and . . .[restrict]7 Misratans held in Zawia. Two from Zliten, which supports Misrata, were also freed by the Zintanis. The exchange took place in Sabratha and was overseen by the Red Crescent which had been involved in the exchange negotiations. It is said, however, to have been initiated by elders from Misrata and Zintan.
There have been several prisoner exchanges between the two rivals before, most recently in February. At the time, officials from both sides insisted that these should not be seeing an indicating any political rapprochement. They were just a humanitarian move, they said.
However, the situation is now seen as having changed following Misrata’s moves to reposition itself and its decision to pull out its brigades from west of Tripoli where Zintani forces area operating.
Four days ago, Zintan did a prisoner swop with Zawia. Misrata also did a deal with the Magarha tribe late last month to end the fighting in the Brak Al-Shatti area in central southern Libya. [/restrict]
