Libya: Making Way for New Generation
[Intelligence
Newsletter- 13/7/1995]
The annual session of the People's General Congress -- Libya's parliament
-- at Sirta between July 1-4 voted to maintain Col. Abubaker Jaber Younes
in his post as defence minister and armed forces commander-in-chief. Indeed,
the confirmation seemed pure form because the defence ministry ceased to
exist in 1991. Col. Muammar Qadhafi appears anxious to make room in the
top echelons of power for Libya's second "revolutionary" generation of
men now in their 40's and 50's. The latter are unswervingly loyal to Kadhafi.
They proved it by crushing a number of uprisings over the past three years,
particularly in October, 1993 and March, 1994 and in taking part in hunting
down the regime's opponents. Three "younger" men given far wider powers
are Massud Abdul Hafiz, Khalifa Ahneiche al Dourbachi al Qadhafi
and Said Oueydat al Qadhafi.
The new line-up in Libyan security and intelligence services such as
it appeared following appointments made chiefly in June, is as follows:
Revolutionary Committes
These count between 50,000-60,000 members and are broken down
into eight regional commands. Their chief, captain Mohamed Amsaid al
Magzub al Qadhafi, retained his post but his staff was re-shuffled.
It now counts capt. Ali Ibrahim al Kilani, capt. Ahmed al Kilani and
Lieut. Ahmed Aoun.
Security Battalions (Kataeb al Amn)
Deployed in Libya's main cities, they field highly modern equipment.
Col. Khalifa Ahneiche, who also commands the garrison at Sirta,
of which he is a native, has been maintained as chief of the battalions.
But he now combines this function with that of boss of the armaments board.
This body had previously answered to the military intelligence service
headed by Ahneiche's chief rival, col. Khuaildi Humaidi. In his
new job Ahneiche will exercise control over all foreign arms procurements.
The other battalion commanders are:
col. Hassan el Kasseh (Tripoli),
col. Shouaib al Farhani (Sebha),
col. Ali Qadhafi (the Mohamed al Magrif barracks in Tripoli,
under direct command of the Libyan leader),
col. Said Oueydat al Qadhafi (missile bases),
lt. col. Abu Kassam al Kanka (presidential guard),
Col. Massud Abdul Hafiz (air bases and ports),
col. Al Barrani Eshkal (military police),
col. Mehdi al Arabi (border police).
Military Intelligence (Istikhbarat al Askariya)
Col. Jumaa bin Niran, former head of the security battalions
in Tripoli, has become chief of military intelligence in succession
to Humaidi. He will be assisted by col. Musbah al Amrussi and lt.col.
Abdullah Mahmud Hijazi.
Jamahariya Security Agency (Hayat Ann al Jama-hariya)
This organization, headed by lt. col. Abdallah Sanussi al Migrahi,
is divided between domestic and foreign security services. Sanussi heads
external security, with Abdul Salam Zadma as his deputy (external
operations and fundamentalist movements). Domestic security is headed by
the justice and general security minister, Mohamed Maumud al Hijazi.
Number two man is transport minister Ezzedin al Inchiri and number
three is Suleiman Ashiri, who is believed to have organized the
kidnapping of the ex foreign minister Mahmud Kikkhia in Cairo in December,
1994.