Libyan authorities to include rebels in new union

An informed Libyan source said that a union named the  “Tripoli Revolutionary Brigades Union” has been formed, headed by Alaa Abu-Hafs and includes more than 50 armed militia groups in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. This comes at a time when the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) and interim government are seeking to contain the rebels and attach them to its forces and the to-be-built army. Ministers of Interior and Exterior are seeking to include as many revolutionaries as possible who were fighting the forces of the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The two ministers have allocated 1000 Libyan Dinars (equivalent to $1250 US) as a monthly salary to the new members. This move aims to dismantle the militias spread all over the country that neither the NTC nor the government are able to control. The Libyan authorities and the two ministers have set the date of April 1 as the deadline for joining. Sheikh Sadiq Ghariani, the head of the Supreme Council of Fatwa, called the revolutionaries to join the ministers. The Union spokesman said that they are trying to bridge the gap between the revolutionaries and the government, also to limit the visible display of weapons being worn in the country. Many Libyan cities are experiencing a similar mobility of the revolutionaries who are joining the government’s institutions as well as handing over many buildings to the transitional government.