In Libya, the Captors Have Become the Captives -NYT
In an article in the New York Times Frank D.Worth examines the scourge of torture in Libya's illegal militia prisons and its after affects as those who inflicted the torture under the Gaddafi regime themselves have to submit to the daily beatings from those who were once their victims.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/In-Libya-the-Ca...
Frank Worth's report in The New York Times begins with Naji Najjar a former prison guard for Gaddafi who is subjected to exactly the same torture, beating with a ppc pipe as he inflicted on his victims. Now they have exchanged roles following the overthrow of Gaddafi and his former victims are taking their revenge.
As his captors observe there is no legal entity for them to hand prisoners to, there is no government infratructure and Libya has yet to recover form the dehumanising effects of Gaddafi's rule. There are still no lawmakers, no provincial governors, no unions and almost no police.Even such basic rights as property owner ship are in total confusion.
Libya has some 60 malitias or Khaitbas and thier members were totally untrained when they began fighting 15 months ago.In converted barrack blocks all over Libya a role reversal exercise has taken plave with guards becomin prisoners abd the former prisoners now have them within their power.There are no rules or legal procedure and whilst some establishments are run in a more orderly fashion,it is still a madman's playground.
The worst massacre by Gaddafi forces occured at Yarmouk military base and Frank Worth examines the murder of Dr Omar Salhoba who was a hero to his fellow prisoners for looking after them and for supplying medical goods to the rebels.His brother Nasser Salhoba is now the brigade's chief interrogator.
As well as confronting his brother's killer he also has to confront his feelings of guilt for not having been able to save his brother.He now has to interrogate Marwan the man who killed his brother Omar.Marwan is a diehard Gaddafi loyalist who uses the defence of obeying orders. As well as still wanting to kill Marwan Nasser wants to understand why.
At some point the need for revenge has to move on to an understanding of how the event happened.The militia's are isolated and the NTC government is unable to absorb them into th military and the policy.They were nothing under Gaddafi andnowx their only sense of identity and self worth is their AK47 and their comrades.Those who fight in wars often find themselves in a state of dislocation with society when the war is over. They find it difficult to return to normality and life lacks the immediacy of conflict.
Gaddafi held the Libyan people in a void for 42 years. There were no jobs other then in the oil and gas sector or the military or security forces. There was no private sector or a society where normalcy could thrive. There was no freedom of thought.
To emerge form this nightmare and still find no route to a normal life is traumatic on top of the trauma of the civil war and 42 years of Gadaffi's rule. Like other governments in the region the NTC is finding it difficult to control the situation which has taken years to create and has now burst upon them with such force. These youn men who thought so bravely feel betrayed and this feeling of betrayal and mistrust could lead to further conflict and another implosion in Lybia.
As with all truamatic war incidents the conflict leaves deep scares which will take a longtime to heal.As with Iraq and Afghanistan disorder can perpetuate itself and military initiatives by the West for the best of motives lead to chaos because there is a failure to provide follow support for fledgling democracies as with Afghanistan after the defeat of Russian forces.The Arab world now has to find its own way and the traumatised victims have to seek their own solutions.
The decision of Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the former commander of the powerful Tripoli military council to give up his position and stand for the upcoming elections with his own party Al Watan, in June may be a hopeful sign for the future.
As his captors observe there is no legal entity for them to hand prisoners to, there is no government infratructure and Libya has yet to recover form the dehumanising effects of Gaddafi's rule. There are still no lawmakers, no provincial governors, no unions and almost no police.Even such basic rights as property owner ship are in total confusion.
Libya has some 60 malitias or Khaitbas and thier members were totally untrained when they began fighting 15 months ago.In converted barrack blocks all over Libya a role reversal exercise has taken plave with guards becomin prisoners abd the former prisoners now have them within their power.There are no rules or legal procedure and whilst some establishments are run in a more orderly fashion,it is still a madman's playground.
The worst massacre by Gaddafi forces occured at Yarmouk military base and Frank Worth examines the murder of Dr Omar Salhoba who was a hero to his fellow prisoners for looking after them and for supplying medical goods to the rebels.His brother Nasser Salhoba is now the brigade's chief interrogator.
As well as confronting his brother's killer he also has to confront his feelings of guilt for not having been able to save his brother.He now has to interrogate Marwan the man who killed his brother Omar.Marwan is a diehard Gaddafi loyalist who uses the defence of obeying orders. As well as still wanting to kill Marwan Nasser wants to understand why.
At some point the need for revenge has to move on to an understanding of how the event happened.The militia's are isolated and the NTC government is unable to absorb them into th military and the policy.They were nothing under Gaddafi andnowx their only sense of identity and self worth is their AK47 and their comrades.Those who fight in wars often find themselves in a state of dislocation with society when the war is over. They find it difficult to return to normality and life lacks the immediacy of conflict.
Gaddafi held the Libyan people in a void for 42 years. There were no jobs other then in the oil and gas sector or the military or security forces. There was no private sector or a society where normalcy could thrive. There was no freedom of thought.
To emerge form this nightmare and still find no route to a normal life is traumatic on top of the trauma of the civil war and 42 years of Gadaffi's rule. Like other governments in the region the NTC is finding it difficult to control the situation which has taken years to create and has now burst upon them with such force. These youn men who thought so bravely feel betrayed and this feeling of betrayal and mistrust could lead to further conflict and another implosion in Lybia.
As with all truamatic war incidents the conflict leaves deep scares which will take a longtime to heal.As with Iraq and Afghanistan disorder can perpetuate itself and military initiatives by the West for the best of motives lead to chaos because there is a failure to provide follow support for fledgling democracies as with Afghanistan after the defeat of Russian forces.The Arab world now has to find its own way and the traumatised victims have to seek their own solutions.
The decision of Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the former commander of the powerful Tripoli military council to give up his position and stand for the upcoming elections with his own party Al Watan, in June may be a hopeful sign for the future.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/In-Libya-the-Ca...