Two security units will be deployed in Southern areas after being trained and armed by the General Command of the National Army and the Interim Government of Libya, and a ceremony for the occasion was held Tuesday.
Interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and his Interior Minister Ibrahim Bushnaf attended the celebration.
The new forces come in the framework of a general security plan in the southern region worth LYD 100 million.
The plan includes the provision of more than 100 four-wheel vehicles equipped with medium weapons and various communication devices, as well as light weapons for individuals, ambulances, fuel and ammunition supply.
The new forces will be part of the Desert Patrols Department and the South Gates and Security Centers Department. They will also be directly affiliated to the Minister of Interior.
During the ceremony, Bushnaf said the political split in the country will not prevent the ministry and the Interim Government from fulfilling their duties in the south to protect it from terrorists, human and drug trafficking, and organized crimes.
The Desert Patrols Department is a new service responsible for combating illegal migration coming from southern Libya.
In late December 2018, the Ministries of Interior of the Government of the National Accord (GNA) and the Interim Government agreed to unify their security efforts to secure all regions across Libya.
Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi, and it is now governed by rival administrations in the east and west.
Due to the division, Libya has become a haven for Islamic militants and armed groups which thrive on looting and human trafficking, particularly in the remote south of the country.
There have been two major factions on the ground since 2014; one led by Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, who now controls the eastern side of Libya in cooperation with the interim government of the House of Representatives (HoR), also known as the Tobruk government.
The other is led by Faiez Sarraj, head of the U.N.-backed GNA in Tripoli.
