Transitional council struggles to bring order to Tripoli streets

A group of former rebels in the neighbourhood of Soug el-Jomaa, in Tripoli. Screen grab from a video posted on Facebook.

When Libyan rebels took over Tripoli in August, the leaders of the opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) vowed to bring calm back to the streets after months of fighting. Today, our Observers say the city’s security situation has greatly improved – but remains far from perfect.

In late August, the transitional council’s minister of the Interior, Ahmed Dharrat, announced the council’s intention to rid Tripoli of the weapons that fell into the hands of ordinary citizens and rebel fighters during the war. The fighters were given a choice: either to join the new national army or the country’s security forces.

“I kept my weapon, but only because I’m now part of the force in charge of protecting important officials and public figures,” Libyan policeman Fethi Ali Baayou told FRANCE 24. Today, all weapons are considered the property of the country’s military commanders, Ali Baayou said, and the transitional council reserves the right to raid the homes of those who refuse to turn their weapons in voluntarily.

According to Ali Baayou, the city’s checkpoints are no longer controlled by rebel fighters. “Now the police and army control the checkpoints,” he said.

However the capital hasn’t quite gone back to normal. The calm is regularly broken by gunfire, and many fighters refuse to join the ranks of the new army.

An estimated 15 million weapons are currently circulating in Libya – that’s an average of two per citizen.

“I’m hearing gunshots in the street as we speak, and no one knows why”

“Samurai Tripoli” (pseudonym) is a West African immigrant living in Tripoli, in the neighbourhood of Djamma Saleh.

I can’t say that I have seen any security improvement. Just last week, a stray bullet hit one of my friends. He was sitting at home in his armchair when a bullet tore through the door and into his leg. Apparently, a group of youths was just shooting into the air, for fun. When we went to the hospital, we realised that he wasn’t the only victim. There were dozens of men, women and children in the emergency room. Some had been shot by accident, others targeted in personal disputes. These conflicts date back to the days of Gaddafi, but those with weapons are settling their scores now. I’m hearing gunshots in the street as we speak, and no one knows why.

The situation is made worse by the fact that there seem to be no police on the streets. Or at least, I haven’t seen any in my neighbourhood for a while. I’m afraid to go very far from my home.”

“It’s hard to be sure who controls the check points”

There are dozens of checkpoints in the city, but it’s hard to know who controls them. One thing is for sure: the official NTC soldiers are supposed to wear a badge and uniform [and their weapons have a licence number]. But it’s all still very unclear. The men controlling the checkpoint near my home wear civilian clothes – there’s no way to know whether they’re legitimate or not.

Here everyone has a gun. Most were distributed shortly before the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and fell into the hands of rebel fighters. Kids as young as 15 could easily get a gun. As a result, if anyone stops you in the street, you’d better obey them because they may well shoot. The youth in particular are especially aggressive against black people. Although they’ve stopped being targeted just because of their skin colour, people are still suspicious of them and believe them to be former Gaddafi mercenaries.

If there is any improvement, it is slow in coming. Personally, I’ve decided to go back home to my country in a few days.”

A former rebel fighter in Tripoli. He's not wearing a uniform, but his badge suggests he has joined the ranks of the NTC's security forces. Photo posted on Facebook.

“Brigade chiefs don’t control their men”

Bassem Almansuri is a young Tripoli native and member of a Libyan patriotic youth association.

Personally, I don’t find the situation in Tripoli today that bad. Yes, there is some celebratory gunfire, but much less that a few weeks ago.

The clashes that remain are due to the large number of weapons circulating. Whenever a conflict emerges between members of revolutionary factions, it quickly turns into a shoot-out because everyone has a gun. Brigade chiefs don’t have the authority to control their men and impose discipline.

There are checkpoints scattered throughout the city. Each neighbourhood is controlled by a “katiba,” a brigade made up of residents of the same city who came to fight in Tripoli. [According to the NTC, the capital has been divided into six military zones, and soldiers are responsible for reporting neighbourhood activity.] Fighters from Tripoli are guarding the checkpoint leading to the historic city centre. Some men are easily identifiable thanks to their uniforms, which bear the colours of their hometown. Their cars also have a special logo painted on them, and they have an identification card.

Of course, law and order isn’t back completely yet, but I’m not worried. I think this is a normal situation for a transitional period.”