Revolutionary militias in western Libya unite

TRIPOLI // Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said they had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press the country's government for further reform.

The move on Monday was a blow to the National Transitional Council, which helped lead the eight-month uprising against Muammar Qaddafi that ended with his capture and death in October.

The NTC has struggled for months to stamp its authority on the country, and has largely failed to decommission or bring under its control the hundreds of militias that fought in the war.

Ibrahim Al Madani, a commander whose brigade joined the new federation, said the fighters would not give up their arms to what they considered a corrupt government.

"We didn't turn against Qaddafi but against a corrupt regime," Mr Al Madani told reporters at a news conference. "We will not lay down our weapons until we are assured that the revolution is on the right track."

The leader of the federation, Colonel Mokhtar Fernana, criticised the NTC body in charge of integrating revolutionary fighters, accusing it of taking in many men who had fought for Qaddafi. "This committee is an attempt to hijack the revolution," Col Fernana said.

NTC officials did not attend the ceremony.

Some commanders who have joined the new federation said it has yet to define its relationship to the NTC's defence ministry, which is supposed to have command over all armed groups.

They also said they would establish a united command - a move unlikely to succeed, given the fierce independence of many of the fighters and the hundreds of kilometres between their cities.

Since the war's end, rebel militias have frequently clashed over control of weapons depots.

The federation's formation could also emphasise a historic rift between eastern and western Libya by serving as a competitor with the so-called Barqa front, a coalition of militias in the east.

Also on Monday, the NTC announced the allocation of seats for the country's first, post-revolution parliament, to be elected in June. The west, including Tripoli and the Nafusa mountains, will have 102 seats; the east, including Benghazi where the anti-Qaddafi uprising began, will have 60; the south will have 29; and central cities including Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte will have 9.

The national congress will be tasked with forming a new government and establishing a committee to write a constitution.