Presidential Guard securing Tripoli-Zawia main coastal road

The Presidency Council/Government of National Accord (PC/GNA) created Presidential Guard (PG), the embryonic Libyan army in the west of Libya and the only army officially recognized by the international community, announced last week that it has secured the Tripoli-Zawia coastal road. This includes the key 17 km and 27 km checkpoints on that main road.

A source who travels on an almost daily basis between Tripoli and Zawia told Libya Herald today that the PG were not stationed at the Janzour 17 km point but at the 27 km point, the Forsan point just before Zawia and at Sidi Billal in Sayaad. Speaking to Libyan media, PG Commander Najmi Nakua said that the securing of the main coastal highway represents an important step by the PG which represents ‘‘the law and the legitimate state’’.

He said that previous attempts to secure the highway had failed because its security had been ‘‘divided up amongst different regional forces’’ (militias). But this time, it is ‘‘the legitimate state force of the PG that is securing the road’’.

Nakua warned that ‘‘any attacks on the PG would be considered an attack on the legitimate state itself, and that all the capabilities of the state would be used to defend it’’.

The action by the PG to establish its authority on this problematic main artery that leads from the nation’s capital all the way to the Tunisian border comes on the back of the recent military action in the Wirshefana area.

The road and its users have been the subject of attacks and control by various militias and armed gangs which had over the years kidnapped passengers and their vehicles. Various armed criminals and militias had also blocked off the highway forcing people to go on a semi-circle multi-hour detour to the south of the motorway in order to reach Tripoli and beyond.

The road closures played havoc with Tripoli university students living to the west of the capital. Many had to stop attending studies.

There have been numerous attempts to open the highway before, which for differing reasons ultimately failed in the long term. If the PG does indeed succeed in securing this stretch of highway it would be a huge boost to it and the Serraj PC/GNA. It would help boost his virtually non-existent domestic legitimacy.

Critics would say that it should be imposing its control on much larger swathes of Libya if it wants to be taken seriously as the exclusive legitimate government of all of Libya.

On political side, Tunisia and Algerian foreign ministers reiterated their rejection of any military solution in Libya, stressing their support for the UN efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis and achieve stability in the chaotic country since 2011 and warning against the return of foreign fighters from conflict zones.

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry, Tunisian FM Abdelkader Messahel and Algerian FM Khemaies Jhinaoui met in Cairo on Wednesday and discussed the situation in Libya and means of pushing the political solution forward after discussions to amend Skhirat Agreement reached dead end.

The FMs of the three countries also issued “The Cairo Declaration" and praised the efforts put by UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salama. They urged all the political parties to show sufficient flexibility during the ongoing negotiations to amend the political agreement, warning in the same context of the seriousness of the continued deterioration of the security situation in Libya and its consequences that will affect the daily lives of citizens.

The FMs stressed the importance of continuing and supporting security coordination and exchange of information as well as strengthening cooperation among them in their fight against terrorism. They reiterated the positions of their countries and the principles that lead their joint action to support efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis, first and foremost to preserve the unity and stability of the country and to adhere to dialogue and political agreement as the only basis for resolving the crisis.

The tripartite meeting is considered the first of its kind since Salama launched his roadmap to resolve Libyan crisis in light of stalled meetings that were held in Tunisia. In this regard, Skhoukry said he agreed with his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts to reject any military option in Libya, adding that they discussed the threat imposed by the terrorist organizations on the national security of the three countries.

Jhinaoui, for his part, said during the joint press conference that Libya has become a refuge for a number of terrorist organizations, pointing out the importance of finding a peaceful solution to end the crisis. While Messahel said that the three countries agree when it comes to the Libyan crisis, "and we have exchanged views on how to help the Libyans reach a final solution to end the crisis.”

Addressing the return of foreign fighters, Messahel said that coordination should take place among regional countries to face the threat of their return from the conflict zones, noting that regional countries need Libya to be stable.

Notably, the three diplomats met previously twice over Libya following Tunisia’s announcement of a comprehensive political settlement in Libya on February 20. The first meeting was held in Algeria on June 5 and 6 while the other was held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.