“I have been targeted in Benghazi,” said Y. T., one of the first to rebel against Gaddafi’s regime four years ago. Now, struggling to piece together a life in Misrata, he is among thousands of displaced Libyans waiting for the violence to come to an end. 

“I have been targeted in Benghazi,” said Y. T., one of the first to rebel against Gaddafi’s regime four years ago. Now, struggling to piece together a life in Misrata, he is among thousands of displaced Libyans waiting for the violence to come to an end. 

February 17 will mark four years since Libya brought down Muammar Gaddafi yet the country is caught in a war that is dwindling the nation’s financial and human resources. Libya has two governments and two legislative bodies and ordinary Libyans remain deeply divided, as military battles continue to rage on. In the shadows, an Islamic state is expanding.

Punishment for the rebels

“My house, where I live with my family, was targeted without us even knowing the reason for targeting it,” he said. The armed October 15 uprising in Benghazi, in support of Operation Dignity, led by retired Major General Khalifa Haftar against Ansar al-Sharia, made things more complicated for the people of Benghazi, Y.T, said. 

Y. T., who is a not a member of any military battalion, considers that he and others have been punished for opposing the Gaddafi regime. “My only crime is that I was one of the revolutionaries and my brother died as a martyr during the revolution.  For this reason, I don’t even have the right to live in my city.”

Still, Y.T. plans to celebrate the anniversary. “It is not the government that is required to celebrate,” he said. “The revolutionaries should do it themselves.” 

Nothing to celebrate

Salem Muhammad, a resident of Benghazi, will not celebrate the revolution’s fourth anniversary. “The revolution has ended and the concept of revolutionaries should end too. The revolution succeeded and it removed the regime of Gaddafi, but we do not have the time to glorify the revolution and the revolutionaries.  Let them go back to their work or join the army. They have humiliated us for more than three years,” he said.

Celebrate it or not?

The Thani government has not yet decided if it will celebrate the February 17 anniversary or not and has not announced its plan to hold ceremonies for this occasion. Muhammad Bazaza, official spokesman for the government, told Correspondents: “Until now, there is no plan to celebrate the occasion.”  However, he added that when the February 17 came around, things could change.

A number of municipal councils confirmed their intentions to celebrate this year, despite the poor conditions there as well as fighting and displacement.  Anees al-Majbari, a member of the municipal council of Benghazi, said: “The council will form a committee to prepare for the celebration because it is very important to celebrate such a significant day.” 

The national salvation government in Tripoli has decided to celebrate the revolution’s anniversary because it was one of the supporters of the revolutionaries, it claims, and even condemned describing some of the factions as terrorists.  

No time for celebrations

Ahmad al-Urfi, from Tripoli, said: “There is no time for celebrations. Our cities are bleeding. What achievements have been made? What deserves to be celebrated?” 

Salem al-Awami, from Benghazi, said the revolution has not achieved any of its aims. “Every year things are becoming worse than the year before. The security conditions in the country have deteriorated and there is more blood flooding in the streets.” 

Al-Awami laments that Libyans lost the unity that propelled the February 2011 revolution.  “We used to care for each other, but now we are skillful in hating each other,” he said. “We were under the dominance of one dictator but now we are under the rule of many dictators.  We do not know who we should obey!” 

However, Moataz Al-Obeidi, from Benghazi, is still optimistic. “Libya is now on the right track, especially after ending terrorism. The state will be as we wanted it to be.  We have been repeatedly demanding the building of the Libyan army and an end to military formations. Our army will soon put an end to these terrorists,” he said.