The former Libyan Defence Minister, Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Barghathi, warned of the consequences of appointing Emad Al-Trabelsi, a former militia commander, as the Interior Minister. He said the decision would help increase the tightening of the grip of armed formations on the regular security services.
Al-Trabelsi is not affiliated to formal security authorities and he was a militia leader in the Western region.
“Members of the armed formations believe only in profit and interest, and they do not know anything about the rule of law. Many of these formations have been involved in various crimes during the past years,” the former Defence Minister told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Al-Barghathi expected that the clash between Al-Trabelsi and the leaders of the most influential formations in Tripoli would erupt at any time. He also referred to the clashes that took place between Trabelsi in the past and Abdel Ghani Al-Kikli, the leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus.
“His forces also have clashed with Abdel Raouf Kareh, leader of the Deterrence Force, affiliated with the Presidential Council,” he added.
For his part, Libyan Member of Parliament (MP) Ali Al-Takbali said the outgoing Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, relies on militia leaders to stay in office.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Libyan lawmaker strongly condemned Al-Dbaiba’s decision to appoint Emad Al-Trabelsi as the new Interior Minister.
“Al-Dbaiba has also used in his government figures who are also affiliated with the leaders of these armed groups to protect his authority in the face of his opponent,” Al-Takbali said.
Al-Trabelsi is “one of the most prominent violators of human rights and international humanitarian law in Libya,” according to Head of the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL), Ahmed Hamza.
Earlier this month, Al-Dbaiba assigned Emad Al-Trabelsi to run the tasks of the Minister of Interior until further notice. In September, Al-Dbaiba assigned Al-Trabelsi as the Under-Secretary-General of Libya’s Ministry of Interior. “Such appointments of personalities with legal and human rights reservations cannot be accepted, as Al-Dbaiba does not attach any importance to the state’s legal and human rights obligations,” Hamza said in September.
Hamza claimed that “Al-Dbaiba would do anything in return for buying loyalty to protect him, and to ensure that he remains in the usurped authority, as a de facto authority that imposes its existence by force of arms.” He pointed out that the Prime Minister, “does not attach any importance to human rights, and its victims. Al-Trabelsi should be behind bars, and not as an official in Libya’s Ministry of Interior.”