As Libya prepares to commemorate three years
since the uprising that ousted and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the
country is haunted by a nightmare of lawlessness that has overshadowed
people’s dreams of a better life.
Monday marks the start of the February 17
Revolution, when angry residents of the eastern city of Benghazi took to
the streets to protest against Gaddafi’s four-decade rule.
Gaddafi reacted violently, touching off a
Nato-backed war that devastated much of the country, killed thousands
and eventually led to his capture and killing by rebels eight months
later.
Ahead of the anniversary, the United Nations has expressed grave concern about the course Libya is taking.
It called on Libyans of all political stripes “to
rise above partisan interests and... work by all means to prevent
inflaming tensions which could lead the country to slide into
lawlessness and chaos.”
Sadly, however, lawlessness and chaos are already everyday concerns.
The latest example came just Friday, when the
government and armed forces denied rumours of an impending coup after a
retired general called for parliament and the government to be
suspended.
How that could have been taken that seriously is
difficult to understand, as the post-Gaddafi government has never
managed to rebuild an army capable of providing minimum security, much
less run the country on its own.
Army ‘too weak’ to rule
As put by Anna Boyd, senior Middle East analyst
with IHS Country Risk: “The army is trying to break Libya’s current
political deadlock but is too small and weak to be able to take over
government in Tripoli and enforce its writ.”
Indeed, just last week, gunmen tried to storm army
headquarters but guards stopped them, but only after they ransacked
cars and stole some weapons.
The lack of security is evident on a daily basis.
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