Dispute among Accord leaders escalates ... Al-Sarraj changes security services' leaders

On Thursday, al-Sarraj issued a decision appointing the commander of "Central Support" militia, Imad al-Trabelsi, as deputy head of the intelligence service and the leader of the "Deterrence Force" militia, Lotfi al-Harari, as deputy head of the internal security apparatus.

Al-Trabelsi and al-Harari are considered among the most prominent militia leaders close to al-Sarraj and opponents of his interior minister, Fathi Pasha Agha, and the first is a resident of the city of al-Zintan who was a commander of the special operations force stationed in southwestern Tripoli, which the UN experts report on Libya issued in 2018 revealed that it was involved in smuggling fuel, as he previously fought in the ranks al-Zintan forces against the forces of Fajer Libya, and led the "al-Sawaeq (Lightening)" militia, which entered into a confrontation in 2014 with forces from the city of Misurata, before al-Sarraj assigned him last year the duties of the head of the general security service.

In turn, Lotfi al-Harari is one of the militia leaders who enjoy the confidence of al-Sarraj, and he is the deputy head of the "Deterrence Force" militia led by Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, nicknamed "Ghaniwa" whose name was linked to several kidnappings that took place in the capital, Tripoli.

These appointments angered the militias of the city of Misurata that support Pasha Agha, as the so-called "Volcano of Anger" forces of the Government of National Accord, most of whose fighters come from the city of Misurata, threatened to respond, and said in a statement that Fayez al-Sarraj took the appointment decisions without referring to the council members by appointing him a militia leader in a high position in the intelligence service, another was linked to kidnapping and extortion in the position of deputy head of internal security.

D.H