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Reuters
Demonstrations have continued since Sunday to protest against corruption and poor living conditions.
The internationally recognized Libyan Government of National Accord announced the suspension of Interior Minister Fathi Ali Pasha Agha from acting as a reserve and referring him to an administrative investigation, after gunmen shot at protesters last week.
The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord said in a statement that Pasha Agha will appear for the administrative investigation before the Council within a maximum period of 72 hours from the date of the suspension decision on Friday.
The statement added that the minister will be investigated “with regard to permits, permits and the provision of necessary protection to the protesters and the statements issued by him about the demonstrations and the resulting events that took place in Tripoli and some other cities during the week. past, and the violations committed against the protesters will be investigated. “
The Council also decided to assign the undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, Khaled Ahmed Al-Tijani Mazen, the direction of the functions of the ministry.
For his part, Pasha Agha expressed in a statement his willingness to appear for the investigation, but demanded that it be broadcast on television to guarantee “transparency.”
Shots were heard in central Tripoli after the decision to detain Bashagha as a precautionary measure, according to the Reuters news agency.
Since last Sunday, hundreds of Libyans have demonstrated daily in Tripoli to protest against corruption and the deterioration of public services, including power and water cuts and fuel shortages.
During the demonstrations, armed men opened fire on the protesters, some of whom were injured.
Previously, Pasha Agha said that the attack on the protesters was “by an armed group, using their weapons, shooting at random and using machine guns and artillery”, denouncing “the kidnapping of some protesters, hiding them by force and causing panic among citizens. “
Since the days of the Government of National Accord, the United Nations Mission in Libya has called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the violence.
In a statement, the mission accused the security forces of the Government of National Accord of “excessive use of force”, “which resulted in the injury of several protesters.”
The suspension decision coincided with reports of a growing dispute between the head of the reconciliation government, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Pasha Agha, who is considered one of Libya’s prominent figures.
Pasha Agha, who is from the coastal city of Misurata, played a key role in repelling the attack launched by eastern Libyan forces on Tripoli for approximately 14 months, which the Government of National Accord forces managed to thwart with the support of Turkey. .
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fake images
Libyan Government of National Accord regained control of all western Libya after Haftar’s attack was repelled
The arrested minister is appreciated by international supporters of the Government of National Accord, especially after he announced measures to curb armed groups in Tripoli.
Since the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011, Libya has witnessed successive conflicts that have devastated the population of a country that has the largest oil reserves in Africa.
The Government of National Accord, backed by Turkey, is currently vying for power in Libya, and a parallel authority in the east led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, backed by Russia and Egypt, the Emirates.
The coronavirus epidemic has also aggravated the country’s social and life crises.
