By Moutaz Ahmed.
Bengahzi, 2 August 2014:
A council of tribal leaders from all of eastern Libya have called for a ceasefire in . . .[restrict]Benghazi as of midnight last night.
At a meeting yesterday in the city of what the elders have named the “Senate Commission”, they claimed to have been successful in negotiations with Operation Dignity forces, the army and the so-called Shoura Council of Benghazi (the umbrella organization that groups together Ansar Al-Sharia, Libya Shield Brigade No. 1, 17 February Brigade and other likeminded militias). All had agreed to the ceasefire, they said.
However, there had been no direct negotiations with Ansar and the Shoura Council noted that while it approved the ceasefire, the military organisations it represented had not yet done so.
That lack of approval was evident this morning when a fresh explosion shook Hawari district as the last remains of the Secuirty Directorate there was blown apart by Ansar or one of the other militias in the Benghazi Shoura Council.
Yesterday’s massive demonstrations in Benghazi may have made Ansar and it allies more amenable to the ceasefire call, although in the past when they have withdrawn from positions in the face of street protests they have retaken them one the protestors have gone. That reality notwithstanding, and despite this morning’s explosion, there is now a positive mood in the city, apparently fuelled by the sense that yesterday’s protests and the meeting today of the new House of Representatives in Tobruk are a game changer.
For their part, the elders say that if either side refuses to abide by the ceasefire they will condemn them. However, more practical consequences are hinted at by one of the elders. Disclosing that Ansar and its allies were planning to launch an assault on Benina Airbase where Saiqa is now headquartered after it was forced out of its Buatni camp last week, he said that this was unacceptable, and indicated that there would be tribal action if an attack were made.
The elders had been working for the past week to bring peace to Benghazi, the representative said.
“Five day ago, we launched the Senate Commission . . . We are deeply troubled at what is happening – the destruction and bloodshed between brother Libyans, the horror of people having to flee their homes because of heavy shelling and destruction of institutions,” he explained. They were particularly worried at the prospect of aerial bombardment of residential areas if the fighting continued.
“We don’t have any formal position or function. All we want is peace in Benghazi and security and protection for itw people from the ongoing war between the two parties.”
The group had worked hard to try and bring about a ceasefire and was in contact with the House of Representatives meeting in Tobruk, he added.
Other groups in the city, including the Benghazi Council of Elders, in partnership with the Shoura Council of Libya, have also been working to end the fighting and enable displace residents return home.
(With input from Noora Ibrahim) [/restrict]
