According to the Libya Herald, the four are: Deputy Prime Ministers-designate Ahmed Maetiq, Fathi Majberi, Abdelsalam Kajman, and the Minister for Specialized Council Affairs, Mohammed Ammari. Officials with the Presidency Council have refused to confirm or deny the reports.
Khalifa Ghwell, head of the General National Congress based in Tripoli, declared a state of emergency shortly after the reports of their arrival. In a statement issued around midnight local time, Ghwell ordered both his defence and interior ministers, along with the head of intelligence and leaders of “revolutionary brigades” to take all necessary measures to protect the GNC. He called for the protection of key buildings and for increased checkpoints. There have been rumors for days that the four would go to Tripoli ahead of the rest of the Presidency Council. The group apparently went to Palm City, a residential compound on the edge of the city, expected to be the headquarters of the Council. An official close to Maetig said Faiez Serraj, the PM-designate, was expected in the city within three days. It is now two weeks since the Council announced it was moving to Tripoli.
Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) was supposed to meet with the head of the GNC in Tripoli on Wednesday but he was denied permission to land at the Tripoli Mitiga airport. Kobler likely wanted to meet with other parties as well as the GNC. The GNC said the meeting was postponed until next Monday on condition that Kobler did not meet with other parties. The GNC rejects the LPA and the associated GNA. The rival internationally recognized House of Representatives (HoR) also objects to the GNA and its move to Tripoli until a formal vote is held in the HoR give it a vote of confidence. Neither government has relinquished power. However, there are cash problems being created by the Central Bank, especially in the GNC area, which may help turn people against the GNC.
The GNC has ordered the Central Bank to take various actions to attempt to alleviate the situations. A comment on the issue by Farooq Khan perhaps reveals the problem: “Libya’s asset in FX shape are in foreign banks…with this Gove the CBL can’t be allowed to access to that by the intrnanl comunity…then how it’s possible for CBL head to overcome the cash crisis? Does it make sense to anyone? Its easy to Remove CBL head then let’s see who else can do what these militias want?” The head of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) appears to be cooperating with the GNA. He is a member of a party associated with the Muslim Brotherhood that supports the GNA.
The entrance of members of the GNA presidency council into Tripoli could spark clashes between militia protecting the GNA and those opposed. Last week, leader of the Libya Operations Room, a coalition of well-armed militia, said they were ready to fight the GNA if it tried to establish itself in Tripoli. Tonight, more commanders of armed brigades met in Tripoli and denounced efforts to bring the GNA to Tripoli. In a statement the group said: “We refuse efforts to give permission to the government to set foot in Tripoli without a consensus, We call the international community to help Libyan parties to set up a real accord government that does not represent any political side, and not to impose a government on them that does not meet the required consensus,”
The group agreed to set up a joint operations room that would use military force to reopen any blocked roads, free oil ports and fields, and to secure state institutions of the GNC. The group also warned the governor of the CBL Siddiq Al-Kabir to settle the cash crisis.
A recent tweet indicated the reception afforded the four GNA members in Tripoli:
Tanks are out in the streets of #tripoli #Libya…challenging the new government to try to enter tripoli
— Libyan Expat (@Libyaexpat) March 24, 2016
Apparently some members may be there anyway but the situation seems to be building to a point where there are likely to be clashes within the city. The UN must share responsibility for what happens.
