Libya’s House of Representatives has overturned a military prosecutor’s order to annex the critical Al Khums commercial port to a nearby naval base, Speaker Aguila Saleh informed the Presidential Council on Wednesday.
The decision came after protests erupted Tuesday when residents of the port city of Al Khums blocked roads to oppose the annexation they said would cripple the area’s economy. Interior Ministry forces were deployed to contain the ongoing demonstrations.
Saleh said the Parliament moved swiftly to debate the prosecutor’s unilateral order during an emergency session in Benghazi. Lawmakers deemed the military order “invalid and illegal” in a letter from Saleh to the Presidential Council’s Mohammad Menfi.
During the session, Saleh urged the council “to take responsibility and instruct the prosecutor to stop this action” which he said would deprive numerous towns of vital income. Al Khums port serves as an economic lifeline for several impoverished areas, residents argued.
It remains uncertain whether Presidential Council chief Menfi can implement the legislative reversal of the military annexation order. But lawmakers have sent a strong signal they intend to check expansionist moves by armed forces seeking to consolidate economic influence.