The head of the Libyan armed forces, General Khalifa Hafter, has offered remaining militant fighters in Benghazi deal under which they will be assured a fair trial if they hand in their weapons and surrender.The offer was one of two announcements made today in his name. In the other, Statement No. 2, he warned that anyone in the armed forces or pretending to be in the armed forces who took the law into his own hands and attacked the homes of families of militants or suspected militants would be severely punished.
The surrender offer, Statement No. 3, is a clear attempt to bring the the offensive against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and its allies to a rapid conclusion. It is not thought, however, that there will be many takers, at least not among IS fighters.
The warning not to attack militants or their homes is directed at those who have had members of their families murdered by terrorists or suffered from them in other ways and want to take revenge.
With the militants apparently collapsing in Benghazi, the aim is to prevent the pendulum swinging the other way and city descending into a fresh round of violence.