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Libya: In Libya, militias undermine the hope for renewal

 

The road reconstruction will be long and bumpy. A year after the start of the revolt and six months after the fall of the capital Tripoli, rebel groups that have toppled the regime of Muammar Gaddafi continue to patrol in arms throughout Libya .

The National Transitional Council sentencing authority over these formations. Executive in charge of the country until parliamentary elections in June 2012, the CNT experiences all the difficulty in integrating these militias into society civil.

But in early January, the Interior Minister Faouzi Abdelali announced a plan for integrating 50,000 fighters into the armed forces and the police ranks.  

Political ambitions unsuspected

A Misrata, which hosted a hotbed of protest during the war and which counted up to 10 000 revolutionary fighters, the goal is to return to civilian life some 2,400 of them, from the municipality of the city.

These are currently undergoing training to integrate the new Libyan police. And an additional window was even open to accommodate more. "They all came on their own initiative, Mohammed assures Lachten, training officer. They are excited to be able to assume greater responsibilities. "

While the poll election remains uncertain given the fragile situation, militiamen, still very present in Tripoli, flaunt their political ambitions. Known for their "thirst for gold", they now depend on their departure from the capital to obtain corporate and administrative positions.

According Ezz al-Deen Agila, a Libyan political expert interviewed by FRANCE 24, ports, airports and other strategic locations are still being held by armed groups. The rebels continue to clash with heavy weapons in the heart of Tripoli. Some of them are even accused of practicing torture on pro-kadhafistes militants, according to several associations for the defense of human rights.