Crisis deepens as Libyan militias reject UN talks

CAIRO: Militias in control of the Libyan capital on Tuesday rejected the United Nations’ call for a cease-fire in the battered nation, insisting instead that their rivals be disarmed.
The announcement by the Libya Dawn umbrella group followed the first round of UN-brokered talks between Libya’s rival lawmakers, held on Monday. The talks are an attempt to bridge the gap between warring groups that have left Libya torn between two rival governments and parliaments.
Libya Dawn, which controls Tripoli and which is affiliated with the militia from the western city of Misrata, said on its Facebook page Tuesday that the only way to end the fighting is to disarm its rivals and arrest their leaders.
The statement is a setback for the UN-mediated talks and reflects deep polarization in Libya, which has been plunged into its worst turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
The 2011 revolt gave rise to a patchwork of heavily armed and increasingly unruly militias. The current crisis is rooted in the successive Libyan governments’ dependence on those militias, originally anti-Qaddafi rebel forces, in restoring order in the absence of a strong national army or police.