Country/entity

Libya

Region

Middle East and North Africa

Agreement name

Agreement [Ceasefire between Tripoli and Tarhounah]

Date

21 Sep 2018

Agreement status

Multiparty signed/agreed

Interim arrangement

Yes

Agreement/conflict level

Intrastate/local conflict

Libyan Conflicts (1969 - 1994) (2011 - )

Agreements relate to two distinct conflict dyads.
Libya-Chad. Since the 1970s, Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had a tense relationship with its neighbour Chad, predominantly focused on the resource-rich Aouzou Strip in northern Chad. Libyan claims of the Aouzou Strip were held in an un-ratified treaty between France and Italy in 1935, similarly Chadian claims of the Strip were argued with support of a 1955 treaty between Libya and France. In 1973, Libya effectively annexed the Strip to gain access to natural resources. This spurred cross-border clashes between 1979 until 1987 until escalated to a brief war known as the Toyota War, wherein Chadian government troops succeeded in repelling Libyan forces. A brief and repeatedly violated ceasefire was held from 1987-88, followed by a series of unsuccessful negotiations, until an International Court of Justice ruling in 1994, which granted sovereignty of the Strip to Chad.

Libya post-Gaddafi. Gaddafi’s downfall following the Libyan Civil War in 2011-2012, led to several factions fighting for the country’s leadership. Since 2013, the country effectively split into three entities, with the National Army controlling the east including the city of Benghazi, and the New General National Congress and their militias such as the Golden Dawn controlling the northwest including the capital of Tripoli. Significant portions of the country in the south-west are currently held by Tuareg forces. The civil war and chaos continued into 2014 as the General National Congress refused to disband after the expiry of its mandate, resulting in eruption of mass protests. The UN efforts continue to broker peace between the Libyan Army and the Libya Dawn factions, and a partial ceasefire was declared in January 2015. A new interim-government (Tunisia-based) called ‘Government of National Accord’ is formed with the backing of UN despite the refusal of the other forces to recognise its authority and arrived to Tripoli with the UN in 2016. A state of emergency was declared by the UN backed government amid clashed between rival militia in Tripoli’s southern suburbs. Since April 2019 there has been sustained fighting between the Libyan National Army and the UN-backed government in Tripoli as the Libyan National Army aims to seize Tripoli.

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Libyan Conflicts (1969 - 1994) (2011 - )

Stage

Ceasefire/related

Conflict nature

Government

Peace process

Libyan peace process

Parties

First Party – City of Tarhuna
1. Hajj Saleh Salem Al Fanidi
2. Abdulrahim Muhammad Ali
3. Idris Ali Saleh Al Amiri

Second Party – City of Tripoli
1. Al Sayd Ibrahim Qadour
2. Hajj Miftah Masoud Al Arabi
3. Hajj Nour Al Din Saleh Al Dali
4. Hajj Riyadh Saleh Al Sareef

Third parties

Attended by:
1. Mr. Abu Baker Miftah Al Abani
2. Muhammad Al Sayeh Al Busaifi
3. Brig. Gen. Muhammad Ali Al Bakoush

Sponsored by the Minister of Interior, Brig. Gen. Abdulsalam Mustafa Ashour

Description

Six point ceasefire for southern Tripoli. Ceasefire has an interesting 'signatory ritual' having each party issue a statement agreeing to the ceasefire. Ceasefire includes the withdrawal of armed groups, removal of checkpoints, and deletion of inflammatory social media accounts as well as stationing police (employed before 2011) to avoid a security vacuum. An enforcement committee is formed.

Agreement document

LY_180921_Tripoli Ceasefire (Tarhuna)_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Agreement document (original language)

LY_180921_Tripoli Ceasefire (Tarhuna)_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type

Formal structured process

Rationale

-> Link to national level; external support mechanism; culture of signing The agreement was officially supported by the Minister of Interior. Moreover, It is part of a larger peace process initiated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to put an end to violent clashes in and around Tripoli. It is embedded in a culture of signing (and supporting) agreements in this locale and in this timeframe (August/September 2018). In the agreement, the parties mention their will to consolidate the ceasefire that has been previously agreed on in Zawiyah.

Is there a documented link to a national peace process?

Yes

Link to national process: articulated rationale

The agreement is linked to the national peace process. It was sponsored by the Minister of Interior. Also, the police forces that have been employed by the ministry of interior from before 2011 is tasked to form a security force to secure the troubled areas in Western Tripoli. The Ministry of Interior is also tasked to create a "committee [...] of the members of the reconciliation by a decree [...] to communicate, activate the work of the security arrangements committee, and follow up with its outputs.

Name of Locale

Tripoli

Nature of Locale

Smaller

GPS Lat/Long (DD)

32.676747, 13.173755

Participant type

Central state actor
Local state actor

Mediator, facilitator or similar

No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture)

No specific mention.

Grievance List

Although the agreement does not refer to specific causes of the conflict, it seems that it addresses the local grievances that arose from the clashes between armed groups in Tripoli and Tarhuna.

Cattle rustling/banditry

No specific mention.

Social cover

No specific mention.