海角大神

Over deadly weekend, Libyans say 'Enough'

Libyan anger after shootouts in Tripoli spurred leaders to rein armed groups in 鈥� potentially a positive sign for the country.

Shootouts are not new to the residents of Tripoli, the Libyan capital. But two days of deadly fighting between rival militias over the weekend stand out聽for the number of victims 鈥� dozens 鈥� and the fact that many were civilian protestors. The bloodshed has raised fears聽for the country鈥檚 fragile transition toward democracy.

After a public outcry from civilians, various leaders聽have聽scrambled to rein in militiamen and聽fighting has since subsided. While post-Qaddafi Libya is far from stable, most of the country鈥檚 political, tribal, and simply armed groups seem more interested in securing a place in an emerging new order than in bringing that order crashing down.

Many of the militias that hold sway in towns and neighborhoods across Libya arose in the 2011 war that toppled former dictator Muammer Qaddafi. Others sprang up in the security vacuum that followed.

Many current militiamen played little or no part in the 2011 war, but joined up later, primarily for money. Yet even militias that have accepted government oversight in return for pay break ranks sometimes to pursue their own agendas.

The weekend鈥檚 fighting in Tripoli had its origin earlier this month in smaller clashes between militiamen from Souq al Jumaa, an eastern suburb, and the city of Misrata 鈥� a major economic and military power in Libya whose militias have remained parked in the capital since helping to topple Qaddafi.

That skirmishing began on Nov. 5 with a checkpoint traffic stop and a wounded ego,聽. It flared again聽, spilling into normally placid downtown streets. Even the posh Radisson Blu hotel overlooking the harbor had windows broken by stray bullets.

On Friday, protestors fed up with violence gathered outside the compound of a Misrata militia in Tajoura, another eastern suburb of Tripoli. The militia has said some protestors were armed. Whatever the case, militiamen opened fire on the crowd with machine guns, killing at least 43 people,聽.

It was not the first time protestors in Libya have stood up to militias, or been killed by them. In June, militiamen in Benghazi nominally under government oversight shot dead 31 protesters 鈥� some possibly armed 鈥� who massed outside their compound to demand they stand down.

Still, the weekend鈥檚 bloodshed in Tripoli, which prompted yet more fighting聽on Friday聽and聽Saturday聽as local militiamen retaliated, has looked to many like a step even further down a dangerous road.

鈥淭he coming hours and days will be decisive for the history of Libya and the success of the revolution,鈥� said prime minister Ali Zeidan聽on Saturday, quoted by Agence France-Presse.

One fear has been that fighting in the capital will spiral into civil conflict. Another is that instability 鈥� which includes strikes, kidnappings, and oil-facility takeovers that have severely dented output 鈥� will hold back the building of a strong state indefinitely, inviting further opportunism and violence by various factions. A new constitution, for example, is long overdue.

In recent days Libyans have taken to media and social networks to voice their disgust. Some have changed their Facebook profile pictures to a black square with the Arabic word 鈥�hedad,鈥� or 鈥渕ourning." Others have circulated photos purportedly of university students killed聽on Friday.

Yet no more fighting has been reported in Tripoli since聽Saturday. Amid public outrage, city leaders from Misrata and Tripoli have , with Misrata militias ordered to withdraw from Tripoli, according to Libya鈥檚 Libya Herald online newspaper.

Have the past days been decisive for Libya鈥檚 transition? Time will tell. Violence may flare again, political squabbles need ironing out, and state revenues need boosting. But for now, even relative calm is a plus.