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By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 24 December 2015:
The Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade (TRB), representing Tripoli’s militias have announced that they will not support . . .[restrict]either of the conflicting political Libyan parties but will support one government of national unity.
The TRB have had to in practice live and co-exist in a Tripoli ruled since July 2014 by the National Salvation government representing the General National Congress (GNC) and its allied militias.
The TRB had called for a meeting yesterday evening at their Ostrich farm headquarters on the outskirts of Tripoli and released their statement just before the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2259 supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) brokered by the UN and signed on 17 December in the Moroccan city of Skhirat.
‘‘We are not for personalities or political parties or groupings. Our work is confined to the safety and security of citizens and the protection of the country from all who threaten its security and expose its safety to danger’’, the TRB statement opened.
‘’We announce to all political parties and streams, east and west, internally and externally, that we are not standing with any of the divided politicians conflicting over the seat of power and who are clinging on to sovereign positions’’.
‘‘We will not help to victory one party over the other’’, they declared clearly sending a message to both minority and majority parties in the House of Representatives (HoR) and the General National Congress (GNC).
‘‘We are with consensus and comprehensive peace-making that spreads peace and stability for our country and our people who have suffered wars and divisions internally and externally’’.
‘‘We, therefore, as security personnel, call on the political opponents to consensus and the uniting of all and the empowerment of the state interest without hollow slogans or false accusations aimed at spreading division and the sparking of wars between our one people’s sons.’’
‘‘We undertake to be loyal troops and strong men at the time of calling and hardship when all support a government of national unity and when there is one will and one administration’’, the Tripoli Brigades promised.
The stance of the various militias towards the UN-brokered GNA of Prime Minister-elect Faiez Al-Serraj is vital for the success of the GNA. Whilst the Misrata brigades are paramount in terms of their numbers and military strength, the TRB, as the locally based force in Tripoli, would be able to weaken and destabilize the GNA if they decide to act as spoilers.
Off course, the TRB would not be the first Libyan militia since the 2011 revolution to pretend to be an exclusively apolitical group of ‘’security personnel’’ promising its loyalty and not interfere in government and state affairs.
It will be interesting to see for how long and to what degree the various militias refrain from political interference and what barriers and deterrents are put in place by the security arrangements in the Libyan Political Agreement that gives birth to the GNA. [/restrict]
