Libya militias taking law into own hands

Tripoli, Nov.5 (ANI): Some of Libya militias are allegedly stealing and targeting Qaddafi supporters for revenge.

According to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), more than two months after the fall of Tripoli, Libya's new leaders are still struggling to secure massive weapons depots, stop the smuggling of munitions out of the country and disarm thousands of fighters who brought down Muammar's Qaddafi's regime.

Heavily armed militias like Mohammad Kor are currently dominating the Libyan political landscape, refusing to give up their weapons in spite of being called thieves.

Accusations of mafia-style behavior are growing, as are worries that inter-militia fighting could break out before the new Libya is even born.

The battle-hardened fighters from Misurata have, if anything, the worst reputation of the lot.

Few cities in Libya suffered as much during the war as the western coastal town of Misurata, where more than 1,000 people were killed during a months-long siege by Gaddafi's troops.

As a result, Misurata's fighters feel they are accountable to no one, not even the country's interim government.

They say they've earned the right to do what they like, and are showing some disturbing tendencies distinctly at odds with the pro-democracy aspirations voiced by Libyans, who have already paid dearly for Gaddafi's overthrow.

Fighters from Misurata have chased the residents of Tawargha all over Libya, arresting them in refugee camps and jailing them in Misurata. Last week, they began burning houses in Tawargha to make sure that nobody returns.

The misconduct of some of the militias is not just a security issue. It also threatens to upset the delicate relationships between Libya's various tribes.

The western city is the capital of the Warfalla, Libya's biggest tribe, with 1.2 million members. Many Warfalla were loyal to Gaddafi, but many others - including interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril - joined the rebellion.

After the fall of Tripoli, anti-Gaddafi members of the Warfalla tribe went shopping for a suitable brigade to negotiate the surrender of their town.

The vengeance and arbitrary killings and arrests have many in Libya worried about what the future holds. Attempts to disarm the militias have failed miserably so far. (ANI)