By Umar Khan.
Tripoli, 14 November 2013:
Further to yesterday’s report by Libya Herald of civilian plans to march on armed groups based within Tripoli in order to force them out, more details have since come to light.
As the fallout from last weekend’s Suk Juma and Misrata thuwar (ex-fighters) clashes in central Tripoli continues, plans by civilians to peacefully evict the armed brigades based in the Ghargour district of Tripoli have been revealed after a series of meetings over five days attended by Tripoli Local Council (TLC) officials, civil society members and revolutionary commanders.
Moreover, the Grand Mufti of Libya, Sheikh Sadiq Gharyani, has also endorsed the call for protests on Friday after he was made aware of the plans through indirect contact by the area council officials of three different districts.
The brigades have been told to leave the city before Friday or civilians would march to Gharghour after Friday prayer to clear the area. The TLC is all set to implement GNC Law No. 27, forcing all the brigades from other towns to leave the capital.
A source present at these meetings confirmed to Libya Herald, on the basis of anonymity, that there was complete consensus on implementing Law No. 27 and that the revolutionaries from different areas of Tripoli assured their full support for the move.
The source said, “We have decided to evict the brigades from Gharghour this Friday and they have been told to leave. If they don’t, there will be a peaceful march by civilians after Friday prayer to evict the brigades. The armed brigades of Tripoli have assured their full support in case we need it. We trust them as they are the only ones that stopped them on the night of clashes.”
The meeting was confirmed by TLC officials who said the council is spearheading the efforts to implement Law No. 27 and restore normality in the city. A senior source at the TLC confirmed the decision to implement the law even if there is no support from the government.
He said, “This effort is very serious as both TLC and the revolutionaries are on the same page in evicting the brigades (from other towns) unlike the last time. It was decided at the recent meeting in Mitiga base that revolutionaries would fully support the TLC in calling for the eviction of brigades from Gharghour.”
There were several rumours about the brigades pulling out from the capital because of the movement of ‘technicals’ (pickup trucks mounted with guns) in and out of the district. However, sources within the Gharghour brigade dismissed the rumours calling the movement of armed cars ‘routine practice’. [/restrict]
