Militias’ ultimatum heightens Libya tensions
Successive governments have relied on former rebels who fought Gaddafi to fill the security vacuum, but the fighters formed armed groups that have gradually turned the country into fiefdoms independent from government authority.
Al Jazeera reporting from Tripoli on Tuesday said that the militias’ ultimatum was the prelude to a standoff. “Sides are beginning to align, with some militias still in support of the government,” he said. “We could have a standoff. We have the potential for a confrontation, but this is just at the talking stage.”
Tuesday’s political drama unfolded when the al-Qaaqaa and al-Sawaaq militias called on the parliament “to hand over power” by 9pm local time (19:00 GMT), saying legislators who refused to do so would be considered “usurpers” and be detained.
Several militiamen appeared on TV, with one reading out the joint statement.
The commander denounced Islamists, saying they are an “epidemic disease for which we will be the cure” and pledged, “in front of God and the people, that we are not and we will not be seekers of power ... but protectors of the nation until it stands on its feet to build its military and security institutions”.
The Libya International Network later broadcast live exercises of men in uniform with a timer counting down the five-hour period given in the ultimatum.
Movement of those forces was likely to provoke rival militias in the city of Misrata into action as they back the Islamist factions in parliament.
However, the ultimatum expired without major forces’ deployment to the convention centre where the GNC convenes. Tripoli-based militias were on alert, with militia members gathered inside their camps waiting for commanders’ orders.
The National Forces Alliance - which is among the largest blocs in parliament and backs Zidan - distanced itself from the militias in a statement on its official Facebook page, insisting it has “no armed wings” and saying efforts to defuse the situation “requires contacting the group that delivered the statement”.