ROME (AFP) – The Italian government said Sunday that dozens of rival tribes in southern Libya had agreed to cooperate on securing the country’s borders in an effort to curb the influx of migrants trying to reach Europe. Italy’s interior ministry said the 60 tribal leaders — notably the Tuareg of the southwest, the Toubou of the southeast, and the Arab tribe of Awlad Suleiman — had reached the 12-point deal after 72 hours of secret talks in Rome. A representative from Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord, which is based in Tripoli and controls western Libya, was also present. “A Libyan border patrol unit will be operational to monitor Libya’s southern border of 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles),” Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper, one of several Italian media outlets reporting on the deal Sunday. “Securing Libya’s southern border means securing Europe’s southern border,” Minniti said. Southern Libya is criss-crossed by smuggling routes for people, drugs and weapons. Since the 2011 uprising that ousted Moamer Kadhafi, a mosaic of tribal and ethnic forces is fighting for control of illicit trade and oil fields in the region. Tuaregs control the border with southern Algeria, while further east, the Toubou