fed machineguns and spray-painted with the names of provincial towns, the militia trucks that roam Tripoli are a daily reminder to its residents of how militarized their new political landscape has become. In a country eager to swap the gun for the ballot box, the assertive presence of armed groups in the capital is seen by many as an unwelcome attempt to occupy the political vacuum created by the fall of Muammar Gaddafi six weeks ago. In theory the heavily-armed paramilitaries are allies against Gaddafi, but in practice the behavior of the various groups, their loyalty pledged principally to their respective home towns, suggests they are morphing into determined rivals. War-weary Libyans are concerned the competition remains peaceful. Azzedine Ageel, a columnist in February newspaper, wrote: “One of the dangers is that, in the absence of a strong government and firmly-rooted security and justice institutions, people will resort to the law of the jungle and take matters into their own hands.” On a visit to Tripoli last week, US Senator Lindsey Graham said Libya had a very bright future, “but there are fault lines. When this war is over, someone has to convince the militias to lay down their guns and follow the rule of law.” Gaddafi may still be at large, but his last bastions are under siege, and so, Libyans say, opposition to him is increasingly unable to act, as it once did, as the glue that sealed the inter-provincial alliance of convenience that ended his rule. Many of these militias have stayed on, saying they are needed to provide security. Many see thinly-veiled attempts to stake rival claims to national power, pointing to statements by several groups extolling the exploits of their men during the uprising. Aside from provincial rivalries, there is competition between the Tripoli Military Council, which has nominal control over the whole city, and formations loyal to the interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, a Western-trained technocrat. Making political statements continues to be an activity pursued by men in uniform as much as by the civilian leaders of the country's interim authority. A diplomat said weapons confiscated by militias from the many arsenals used by Gaddafi forces during the uprising had been stored in agreed locations as part of attempts to remove unlicensed weapons from the city. But some, he said, had found their way back to their respective home cities. “It's a dangerous game,” the diplomat said. “The militias are suspicious of each other. They think accumulating weapons gives them a stake in political power.” At first glance, Tripoli remains a city in celebration. But as the weeks wear on, euphoria is receding and everyday concerns are pressing. The city wants to get back to business. The militias say they will be gone when the state institutions are restored. But residents are questioning when that will be. “It needs attention,” said an official of the National Transitional Council, the country's caretaker government, referring to relations between the rival armed groups in the capital of two million people. __
