The Presidential Council of the Libyan Government of National Accord suspended Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha from acting as a precaution, with his appearance for investigation within a maximum deadline of 72 hours, against the background of the protests in the capital, Tripoli, in recent days.

The Presidency Council justified its decision by saying that the investigation with Bashagha will be regarding the permits, permissions and providing the necessary protection to the demonstrators, and the statements issued by it regarding these demonstrations that took place in Tripoli and several cities under the authorities of the Government of National Accord.

The Presidential Council assigned the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Khaled Mazen, to run the ministry until the completion of the investigation with Bashagha.

During the past week, the capital, Tripoli, and Libyan cities witnessed several anti-corruption demonstrations and calls for the provision of public services such as electricity and others, and the President of the Presidency Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, announced in a televised speech, in conjunction with the outbreak of the demonstrations, his intention to make urgent ministerial changes away from favors and quotas.

In a related context, the Presidential Council announced that it had assigned a joint force affiliated with the Western Military Region Operations Room to control security inside the capital, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and other security agencies.