Black smoke billows over the skyline as a fire at the oil depot for the airport rages out of control after being struck in the crossfire of warring militias battling for control of the airfield, in Tripoli, Liby, in this July 28, 2014, photo.CAIRO – Libya’s newly elected parliament asked the United Nations for an “international intervention” and voted Wednesday to dismantle the militias responsible for violence raging across the country for weeks.
Libya is witnessing its worst spasm of violence since the 2011 ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi as rival militias battled for control of territory and political clout. Thousands have fled the country, including diplomats and foreign nationals, as dozens have been killed in the bloody confrontations. Scores of embassies have closed down and international organizations have shut their offices.
In a move that aimed to stem the violence, the country’s newly elected parliament voted to dismantle the rival militias, giving them an ultimatum to join the military and police by the end of the year. Officials repeatedly have tried unsuccessfully to disarm the slew of militias that sprouted in Libya to fight Gadhafi.
It is not clear how Wednesday’s decision will be implemented. Details of the decision were not yet worked out.
In a joint statement, the governments of the U.S., France, Germany, Britain and Italy deplored the ongoing fighting and called for “an immediate cease-fire and for all parties in this conflict to begin a peaceful political dialogue.”