Libyan Minister of Defense Quits Position

The Libyan Minister of Defense, Mohammed Mahmoud al-Bargati, has resigned from his position on Tuesday, protesting the siege on the ministries of justice and foreign affairs by gunmen.

Despite the fact that the parliament passed down a law that purges Gaddafi-era officials from their posts (the militiamen had demanded the parliament introduce a law banning officials of the Gaddafi-era from holding office), the gunmen have continued to put ministries under siege on Tuesday.

In his own words to Reuters, the minister said, “I will never be able to accept that politics can be practiced by the power of weapons … This is an assault against the democracy I have sworn to protect.”

Before Bargati was appointed defence minister in November last year, he was retired on a government pension in 1994 after serving as a commander of the Benghazi air force.

After the parliament voted to ban anyone who held a senior position during Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade-rule from government on Sunday, most of the gunmen have dispersed from the ministries.

But, some groups of heavily armed fighters stayed behind. According to some of them who spoke to the reporters, they were waiting to be replaced by official security forces.

The new law could see the ousting of the prime minister, 40 of over 200 deputies, and other top officials in the government, irrespective of their roles in the removal of the late dictator.

Bargati will be the first cabinet minister to resign since the new law was passed. There are indications that he resigned before his expected dismissal, as the law would apply to him as soon as it takes effect.