Misrata militia ordered out of Tripoli after clashes

Misrata militia ordered out of Tripoli after clashes

The army have deployed troops to parts of Tripoli

Militia groups from Libya's city of Misrata have been ordered to leave the capital, Tripoli, following deadly clashes there. 

Misrata's local council said the groups must pull out within three days, and one local commander later told the BBC his unit would comply with the order.

It comes after some Misrata gunmen on Friday opened fire on protesters trying to evict them from their headquarters. 

In protest, Tripoli city declared a three-day general strike.

In a separate development further highlighting the weakness of the country's central government, Libyan deputy intelligence chief Mustafa Nuh was kidnapped on Sunday, security sources told the BBC. 

Local media say he was abducted from Tripoli airport, but the government says it is unable to confirm this. 

No group has said it abducted Mr Nuh, but militias have seized senior officials before to get political leverage. 

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was held hostage for several hours by gunmen in October, before being released unharmed. 

Positive development

In a joint statement on Sunday, Misrata's local council and the council of elders said all militia groups from the city - without exception - must pull out of Tripoli within 72 hours.

Shops are closed in Tripoli in protest against the powerful militias

The statement said Libya's national congress and government were responsible for securing Tripoli.  

Shortly afterwards, Khalil al-Ruwaiti, who heads a unit under the Misrata Shield brigade, confirmed to the BBC that his fighters would leave the capital. 

The Misrata Shield brigade is nominally attached to the ministry of defence, but - like other Shield groups - is viewed by people as one with a semi-official status that can operate independently when it chooses to, the BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli reports. 

The brigade is not part of the militias who clashed with the protesters on Friday. 

Emotions have been running high in Tripoli after the clashes, and Misrata's statement will be seen as a positive development, our correspondent says. 

Libya's central government in Libya has struggled to keep militia groups from Misrata and other towns. 

These groups were originally formed to help oust Col Muammar Gaddafi, but two years later they refuse to disarm. 

Tripoli remains tense and volatile. Most shops and schools are closed and many roadblocks have been erected by local residents and various armed groups.