FromJoanne Joanne
"Pinch me!": Life in Tripoli without Gaddafi
Photo tweeted by @2011feb17, with the caption: "Nice to see revolutionary graffiti without it being painted over by [Gaddafi's] goons."
Residents of Tripoli are slowly starting to get used to life without Colonel Gaddafi. Nearly a month after the capital fell to anti-Gaddafi forces, street vendors have re-opened their shops, garbage men are once again cleaning the streets, and all over the city, the tricolour flag of independence flies high. Our Observer in Tripoli tells us how life has changed for the capital’s residents.
Since the National Transitional Council took control of the capital in late August, it has been recognized by most of the world as Libya’s legitimate leadership. However, Libyan power structures remain fractured. Different groups are rushing to take credit for liberating Tripoli in order to secure their place in the country’s future government. Despite these uncertainties, our Observer tells us that life in Libya is much more pleasant than it was under Gaddafi.
As an anti-Gaddafi online activist, @2011feb17 prefers to keep using a pseudonym, for fear of retribution by remaining Gaddafi loyalists. FRANCE 24 first interviewed him a month ago, when Tripoli was still under Gaddafi’s rule; at the time, he travelled for miles to email answers to our questions. Now, he’s able to tweet dozens of times a day.
Garbage collection resumes in Tripoli. @2007feb17, who took this photo, says: "Black foreign workers are working hard, and we respect them for that." Many black immigrants have fled Libya, fearing they might be the target of reprisals because Gaddafi hired black mercenaries to fight anti-regime protesters.
