On Thursday, a member of the Libyan Parliament, Essam Al-Jahani decried Prime Minister, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba’s decision to establish a new security body called the National Apparatus of Support Forces, describing it as “invalid.”
In press statements, the MP argued that this move “aims to safeguard his government from potential collapse,” noting that it “also comes at a time when both domestic and international parties are pushing for elections in Libya.”
Two days ago, Dbaiba issued a decision to establish the National Apparatus of Support Forces.
This body, commanded by Ahmed Khalil Issa, includes the February 17 Revolutionaries, a group inspired by the uprisings that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Trained personnel from the military and security agencies will be seconded to the body, to reorganize its operations and put existing mechanisms, weapons, and ammunition under legal and administrative procedures.
It is unclear what the exact role of the apparatus will be. The decree makes an obscure statement, claiming that its goal will be to “protect the sovereign legitimacy of the state, and preserve the goals of the revolution.”
So far, no official statements have been issued by the military entities in Libya’s east and west regarding this matter. Internal parties are relying on holding elections, especially after the 6+6 Joint Committee agreed on electoral laws.
In commenting on the recent decision, Al-Jahani stated that the force established by Dbaiba’s decree, is akin to the “National Guard” some sought to establish during the General National Congress in 2012.
He further added that “according to the constitutional declaration, the legislative body or the army’s supreme commander, not the interim government, has the authority to establish such an entity.”
The MP highlighted the “invalidity” of the decision issued by the Prime Minister, which he argues is “intended to assemble armed groups under the government’s banner to counter any forthcoming attempts to remove him.”
