Libyans celebrated on Friday the first anniversary of the uprising against Moamer Gaddafi with fireworks and slogans, even as their new leader vowed to act firmly against further instability.
Hundreds gathered in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Benghazi, the city which first rose against Gaddafi and his 42-year regime, after traditional Muslim prayers, waving Libya’s new flag and proclaiming the revolution’s “birthday.” Libya’s rulers have not organised official celebrations at a national level as a mark of respect for the thousands of people killed in the conflict that saw Gaddafi captured and slain on October 20. But spontaneous commemorations began nationwide, as former rebels, who toppled Gaddafi last year with NATO backing, set up fresh checkpoints in Tripoli, Benghazi, the western port city of Misrata and other towns.
In Tahrir Square, mothers held pictures of their sons killed in the fighting, while singers and poets performed for the growing crowds. “This is the first birthday of Libya. It is a day of freedom, a day to remember. The days ahead will be better now that Gaddafi is gone,” said Malek L Sahad, a Libyan-American rap singer who returned to his native country last year.
Around 200 people waved flags and chanted slogans against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, such as “Shame on you Bashar!” and “It’s your time to go now!”
A ruthless crackdown by the Assad regime on similar anti-government protests that erupted last March has cost more than 6,000 lives, human rights groups say. Post-Gaddafi Libya recognises the Syrian National Council, the broadest opposition group, as the representative of the Syrian people. Former army colonel Idris Rashid, 50, said the difference between the new Libya and the old was “like the difference between the sky and the earth.”
“We were living before, but never knew the meaning of life. Today we can feel the breeze of freedom,” he told AFP. One year after the uprising, Libya is battling challenges ranging from how to tame the rowdy militias that fought Gaddafi to establishing a new rule of law.
