Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Libya’s Defense Ministry is recruiting thousands of young Libyans for
a force to protect borders and critical facilities.

Officials said more than
8,000 militia fighters have enlisted and began a six-week training.

“The 8,000 who joined are from all over Libya,” Libyan Deputy Defense Minister Sadiq Al Obeidi said.

On March 31, Al Obeidi signed an agreement to train 8,055 former rebels. He said many of the recruits would be assigned to protect Libya’s huge energy infrastructure, including crude oil wells and refineries.

“Many of them are residents from regions near the oil fields, and many of them have already been protecting oil installations in the past few months,” Obeidi said.

Officials said the interim government in Tripoli was urged by North African and Western countries to bolster border security. They cited fears by the international community of arms and drug smuggling as well as the flow of Al Qaida fighters from Libya to Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and
Tunisia.

The government has sought to recruit at least 50,000 former militia
fighters and other young Libyans to rebuild the military and security
forces. Officials said so far 200,000 rebels have registered for jobs in the
public sector.

Still, the largest of the militias are said to be holding out
for better salaries and conditions. Some of the militias have been battling
in several areas in southern Libya, in which nearly 150 people were killed
in late March.

“We announce that reconciliation efforts have resulted in an accord on a
ceasefire,” Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Rahim Al Kib said on March 31.

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