Libya: Fathi Bashagha becomes GNA interior minister again
Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, from the government of national unity, was suspended on August 28, 2020. Mahmud TURKIA / AFP
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Fayez el-Sarraj, the head of the government of national unity (GNA), reinstated Fathi Bashagha on Thursday in office.
On August 23, he had temporarily suspended his Minister of the Interior for an administrative investigation.
A case which illustrates the competition between the two men for power in the camp in western Libya.
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The Libyan Minister of the Interior
does not hide his ambition to lead the government in place of Fayez el-Sarraj.
Moreover, its influence increased during Khalifa Haftar's offensive against Tripoli.
The militias of Misrata, where he is from, played a decisive role in the defense of the capital.
He is the man from Ankara in Libya and he is backed by Washington, convinced of his ability to dissolve some militias and integrate others into the regular forces.
In a statement released on Thursday, after spending five hours answering questions from the Presidential Council, Fathi Bashagha affirms that "
the Ministry of the Interior is under the order of the Prime Minister, just like all the apparatuses of the security forces which must work. in complementarity.
"
The competition between the militias of Misrata and those of Tripoli reached a worrying level since the retreat of the forces of Khalifa Haftar.
The UN had called for a rapid resumption of political dialogue, fearing "
dramatic developments
" in connection with this tension.
Several observers agree that the Libyan Prime Minister "
knows his limits
: he has suspended his minister instead of pushing him to resign
".
His decision was a message aimed mainly at reframe his competitor, say these observers.
A competitor who does not hesitate to make demonstrations of force.
On his return from Turkey last Sunday, some 300 militiamen with their military vehicles came to welcome him at the airport.
And yesterday, Thursday, during the questioning session at the headquarters of the Presidential Council, his men surrounded the building.
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Libya
Fayez el-Sarraj
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