By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 24 April 2015:
Misrata’s Third Force, part of Libya Dawn, has signed an agreement with the Magarha tribe . . .[restrict]to end the fighting in Qirah and the Brak Al-Shatti area in central southern Libya. Fighting has been continuing for more than a month and a half and has destablised the entire area.
According to pro-Libya Dawn media, the Third Force will pull their forces back to Brak airbase, some 500 kilometres south of Tripoli., In return, the Magarha will hand over their weapons to the Dawn-controlled General Staff, the main road from Sebha to Shwerif will be reopened, local residents will be allowed to return to their homes and there will be an exchange of prisoners between both sides.
The Magarha are said to have agreed to ensure Third Force prisoners sent to Zintan would be handed over as well.
A Magarha delegation arrived in Zintan today. It is not known if the main objective was to obtain the freedom of the Misratan prisoners. Pro-LNA sources, however, say that they arrived to explain their position but also to consolidate ties with Zintan. The same sources also dismissed the suggestion that the Magarha would hand over their weapons. They portray the agreement as part of wider discussions involving Misrata to do a deal with the LNA and pull out of fighting across the country.
The Magarha were strong supporters of the Qaddafi regime and their most prominent member is Abdullah Senussi, ill and in prison in Tripoli. They have now sided with the Libyan National Army in alliance with other pro-HoR/LNA forces in the area including the Tebus and the Qaddadfa tribe. Senussi’s continued detention is said to a major reason for their hostility to Libya Dawn. Rumours that, as part of the deal, Dawn will free Senoussi are, however, seen as fantasy.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the Mobile Force, also part of Dawn and based in Janzour, has condemned the Misratan Halboos Brigade for pulling out of the fight against the LNA south west of Tripoli two days ago. According to Mobile Force officials, it had been agreed that the brigade along with other forces should pull back, but only from Zahra, not the whole area. [/restrict]
