Libyans take to the streets again – to celebrate the revolution

The flags were out on Martyrs Square in Tripoli as crowds across Libya gave voice yesterday to joy at being free of Muammar al-Gaddafi, the anniversary of their revolt offering brief respite from fears that it has brought them only chaotic paralysis.

In Benghazi, cradle of last year’s “February 17 Revolution”, and in Tripoli, the capital and Gaddafi’s stronghold, which fell to a motley array of Western-backed rebels six months later, armed police ringed central squares, braced for the kind of sporadic gunplay which has soured the peace that followed Gaddafi’s death on 20 October.

It was a sign of the progress made in dampening the public exuberance of the rival bands of militia fighters who roam the streets of Tripoli that it was honking car horns rather than the celebratory gunfire which provided most of the soundtrack to public and private festivities yesterday.

But as the interim government struggles to prepare a free election in June while hundreds of armed groups of varying local, tribal and religious affiliations jockey for a slice of the oil-rich desert state, it has disappointed Libyans and raised doubts it can even hold the sprawling country of six million together.

But yesterday it was time to party – even if the government had decided to hold back from official festivities.

“Despite the problems that remain in the country, this is an amazing day and we want to celebrate,” said Sarah, 22, a engineering student out with friends in Tripoli. “Just look at what was achieved in this past year.”

Lingering enmities built up over four decades of autocratic and often eccentric rule by Gaddafi and a corrupt family coterie continue to fester - not least in grim, makeshift jails where angry militiamen hold (and sometimes torture) rivals whom they are quick to accuse of pro-Gaddafi sympathies.

Spontaneous celebrations began on Thursday night when families emerged on the streets of Tripoli, Benghazi and other towns across the country, chanting and waving the red, black and green flags of pre-Gaddafi Libya which re-emerged among rebel forces during the conflict.

At Gaddafi’s former Tripoli compound, now reduced to rubble, those flags dotted the derelict landscape. Several homeless families have moved into the few buildings still standing.

“Before it was all him, and the people were weak,” said Basma, a mother of three, who said she had moved her family in to the Bab al-Aziziyah compound last month. “Now, we are equal.”

Flags also flew from balconies and cars across the city. Bunting hung over the capital’s streets – including from the balcony on Martyrs Square where Gaddafi used to address loyal crowds in the days the plaza was known as Green Square.

Life for many people has improved since the end of the eight-month Nato-backed struggle against Gaddafi and its chaotic aftermath, but security and political woes abound ahead of the June poll.

As it tries to build a democratic state, the National Transitional Council is struggling to impose its authority on a country awash with weapons and to form a national police force and army.

Heavily-armed militias have stepped into the vacuum, carving out local fiefdoms. Their fighters say they are loyal to the NTC, but they answer only to their own commanders. They often clash because of disputes over who controls which neighbourhoods.

Ezzieddin Agiel, who teaches at Tripoli University, said insecurity could undermine the election. He said: “The biggest achievement of the revolution was to end the Gaddafi regime and put a stop to his family’s corruption. The elections reflect the Libyan quest to build the state and constitution.

“The weakness of the political institutions may lead to serious problems for Libya, which may be difficult to control.”