Harris and Trump make final push in must-win Pennsylvania    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Tourism Development Fund launches "Tourism Empowerment" programs to enhance sustainable growth of SMEs    Saudi crown prince, Tunisian president review bilateral relations in phone call    SFDA Chief visits premier biotechnology and medical firms in China    Al-Khereiji: Collective action in combating terrorism is a must for achieving stability and prosperity    Saudi Awwal Bank becomes the Kingdom's first bank obtaining ISO certification for quality management system in operations    10 cooperation agreements signed during Saudi-Turkish Business Forum in Istanbul    Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues grow 6% in 9 months while Q3 budget posts SR30 billion deficit    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Enhancing zakat, tax, and customs compliance takes center stage at the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Conference 2024    Neymar expected to join Al Hilal squad for AFC clash against Esteghlal, says coach Jesus    Al Qadsiah secure 2-0 victory over Al Ettifaq in first Eastern Derby since 2021    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Bedlam In Benghazi — Cradle of anti-Gaddafi revolt, torn by chaos that followed
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 02 - 05 - 2015

Members of the Libyan pro-government forces take positions during clashes with the Shoura Council of Libyan Revolutionaries, an alliance of former anti-Gaddafi rebels who have joined Ansar Al-Sharia in Benghazi. After a year of war, Libya's second-largest city Benghazi is divided into areas controlled by forces loyal to one of two rival Libyan governments, and areas held by Islamist fighters led by the group Washington blames for the 2012 attack that killed its ambassador. — Reuters photos
Ahmed Elumami
When Libyan government forces and Islamist militants battled with artillery guns right in his district, Khalil Al-Barassi knew it was time to pack up. He moved his family into an abandoned schoolhouse, where they live on aid from the Red Crescent, while the city around them falls to pieces.
After a year of war, Libya's second-largest city Benghazi is divided into areas controlled by forces loyal to one of two rival Libyan governments, and areas held by Islamist fighters led by the group Washington blames for the 2012 attack that killed its ambassador. The city was the birthplace of the revolt that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with residents who pride themselves on a willingness to rise up and defend themselves from exploitation.
But with rockets crashing daily into its boulevards, neighborhoods reduced to rubble and around a tenth of its 1 million people made homeless, Benghazi has now become one of the worst examples of the chaos that followed Gaddafi's downfall.
As elsewhere in Libya, armed groups have lined up behind the two rival governments. In Benghazi, one government backs a Gaddafi-era army general and the other backs the Islamists. Both pay fighters out of central revenues under a system set up after Gaddafi's downfall, which saw scores of armed groups placed on the public payroll, effectively subsidizing civil war from the country's oil exports.
Some of Benghazi's 90,000 displaced people have moved in with relatives living in safer areas. Others, like Barassi with his wife and four children, have moved into schools, empty now that the fighting has prevented them from opening.
“Rockets hit the buildings in our street,” said Barassi whose family has been sleeping for ten months on blankets in a rundown school packed with some 15 other families sharing classrooms. Electricity is sporadic.
“It's bad here but I cannot afford to rent a flat,” said the 47-year who depends on aid from the Red Crescent and a small salary as a soldier guarding a hospital.
Inconclusive
The battle for the city started a year ago when retired army general Khalifa Haftar launched his own war against Ansar Al-Sharia, the militant group blamed by Washington for the Sept. 11 2012 assault on a US diplomatic mission that killed four Americans including ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Last month, Libya's internationally recognized parliament, which is based out of an eastern town after being forced out of the capital Tripoli by a rival government, appointed Haftar as its top army commander.
So far, the Benghazi fighting has been inconclusive, with both sides relying on poorly-trained “brigades” of fighters who confront each other with outdated weapons such as Toyota trucks mounted with heavy guns.
Haftar's army forces have used air support to help win back territory from Islamist fighters, including the airport area, eastern districts and several barracks that had been overrun last summer. But despite almost daily army pushes, Islamists are still holed up in the port area in the city centre, where Barassi lived before he had to flee, and in some western districts. Street battles go back and forth while army helicopters open fire. “Whenever we approach their strongholds the terrorists fire rockets on residential districts,” said Fadhl Al-Hassi, an army commander. The Islamist camp denies this.
In a city where virtually everyone has access to weapons, neighbors — armed but wearing civilian clothes — have joined pro-army forces to help dismantle Ansar Al-Sharia checkpoints.
Divided city
Haftar's opponents have organized themselves as the “Majlis Al-Shoura” umbrella group, which links Ansar Al-Sharia and other former anti-Gaddafi brigades, some of which were not initially allied to the Islamists but made common cause against a military they accuse of trying to bring back Gaddafi-style dictatorship.
This month, the government based in Tripoli, which is not internationally recognized but holds most of the West of the country including the capital, said it would provide unlimited support to the Majlis Al-Shoura.
Adding to the chaos, other militants who have proclaimed themselves loyal to Daesh (the so-called IS) — the group that controls much of Syria and Iraq — have also started exploiting the security vacuum. They killed seven people in a suicide attack on an army checkpoint last month.
The government that supports Haftar describes Majlis Al-Shoura as terrorists who have teamed up with Daesh; Majlis Al-Shoura denies it has links to the militants.
Haftar has said his forces control more than 80 percent of Benghazi, though his opponents dispute this. After army forces said they were close to taking the port and nearby government buildings, Majlis Al-Shoura fighters filmed a video posing there.
“About 75 percent to 80 percent of Benghazi is under control of Majlis Shoura,” said Mohamed Bakeer, the group's spokesman. “The daily life of our fighters is great. They have high morale and their main goal now is to end Haftar's coup.”
A year into the fighting, residents are learning how to cope. Only two hospitals still work, while most schools and the city's university are closed. The main campus was a battlefield for weeks. But life in army-controlled areas has returned to some normality, with banks and restaurants reopening, though rockets fired from nearby battle zones still hit buildings. Two civilians were killed by rockets on Monday alone.
The streets are usually safest in the morning, when fighters tend to sleep after battling through the night. In the early hours, civil servants queue at state banks to pick up their salaries. Young people sit down in cafes to use their internet.
“At the beginning of the war we didn't go anywhere, but now we go for picnics at the weekend in the east of Benghazi, as it is safer,” said Mohammed Al-Faitouri, an accountant.
He still drives to work every day, crossing an army checkpoint, but has cut his work hours to be at home by 2 p.m., before fighting usually picks up after afternoon prayers.
“It is good that shops are opened now,” the 44-year old said. “My wife and I go shopping but we have to be at home before sunset.” — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.