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Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Thousands of Libyans on Saturday marked the seventh anniversary of the start of protests that ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rallies and concerts despite the country’s political and economic morass.
In the capital Tripoli, and across many cities in the North African country, thousands packed public squares where the authorities were organising concerts and other festivities.
Libya descended into chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising, with rival militias, tribes and jihadists vying for influence across the oil-rich country.
Thousands of people filled Martyrs’ Square of #Tripoli this evening in celebration of the 7th anniversary of #February17 revolution. #Libya ?????? pic.twitter.com/8TD43sNzoy
— The Libya Observer (@Lyobserver) February 17, 2018
A 2015 UN-backed deal to set up the unity government in Tripoli was meant to end the turmoil.
But Libya has remained riven by divisions between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and a rival administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
The GNA has failed to assert its authority across the oil-rich country, which is also grappling with deadly attacks, and a migration crisis seven years since the uprising erupted.
Internationally-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj acknowledged his government’s shortcomings in a televised speech on Saturday to mark the seventh anniversary, and called for national reconciliation.
On #AJNewsGrid: It’s the seventh anniversary of the start of Libya’s revolution. What hopes do Libyans have for the future? We’ll be live from Tripoli https://t.co/IFH7keUblp pic.twitter.com/glSjoczCxN
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 17, 2018
“Maybe a regime has ended, but the truth is we have not managed to rid ourselves of a culture that has dominated the minds and behaviour of many people, who today are at the forefront of politics and who consider the homeland as booty,” Sarraj said.
National reconciliation, he said, was key to a solution to end divisions in Libya and ease the crisis facing the country.
